TurnaboutCola
by Diana Lily and Isabella
Summary: A new threat is looming over the Ace Attorney universe-the threat of destruction! Only our heroes-the members of the GameCola staff and yours truly-can help them now. Secrets will be revealed, trials will be won, and the truth will come to light-but will they succeed? And can they find their way home? Note: Please visit GameCola's website to learn about them, you won't regret it!
1. The GameCola Annual Beard Competition!

**Hi guys! So, to celebrate my first day of summer, here's my new project, and a bit of backstory...**

**So, a couple of days ago I was watching a video, and the person speaking said, "How can you write fanfiction about real people?" Immediately, I felt challenged. So I turned to my friends on the GameCola staff (for those of you who don't know, GameCola is a website with hilarious videogame reviews, fantastic podcasts, and avid Phoenix Wright fans) and asked if I could write a fanfiction starring them. The response was very enthusiastic, so I now have a cast of eight (including myself, yes I will be in this as well), and a dream. I hope you guys enjoy it and please go look them up, it'll be much funnier if you know who they are!**

**Enjoy and happy summer (when it applies)!**

**~Diana**

* * *

_In this GameCola/Ace Attorney crossover fic, Paul's obsession with beards causes perhaps the wildest turnabout of them all..._

* * *

One stormy evening, some of the members of the GameCola staff were gathered together in a rather large hotel room. They included the editor-in-chief, Paul Franzen, who was sitting on an armchair, stroking his infamous beard, and reading over some printed articles for the website, red pen in hand. Alex Jedraszczak (commonly known as Jeddy) and Michael Gray were both on laptops, Jeddy working on the latest podcast, expertly editing out all the awkward silences, and Michael wrapped up in the new Nancy Drew game. Everyone in the room was giving him strange looks as he frantically told Nancy not to do something, then let out a groan of frustration as she did it anyway. By far the loudest in the room, however, were Nathaniel Hoover, Meteo Xavier, Matt Jonas, and Christian Porter, playing a videogame (what! A videogame!) on the large television. Christian's character had just died, and the others were loudly laughing at him.

Finally Paul had had enough. "Guys," he said, but no one listened. "Guys!" Everyone just talked louder. "Hey! Order! Order!" Everyone stopped and looked at him.

"Paul, we aren't in a courtroom," Nathaniel said matter-of-factly.

"Phoenix Wright references get everyone's attention," Paul replied. Everyone nodded; that was very true.

"So what did you want?" Meteo asked, looking a little irritated to be taken away from the game.

"Well, I assume you all know what we're here for," Paul said, standing and trying to look like he was in charge.

"Yes Paul, we all read the email, something about a competition?" Matt replied from the couch.

"I'm starting a new tradition, an official GameCola tradition!" Paul said proudly. "The Annual GameCola Beard Competition!"

"Paul, we all know this is just an opportunity for you to get us to admire your glorious beard," Christian said from the corner, still sulking a little from his loss. "And we all know none of us have a beard to rival yours."

"Still, I'm in charge here, and I say we're doing it. I even got one of our Sarahs to come and judge!"

"Wait, judge what?" Jeddy asked in confusion. He'd been working with the sound on the podcast and had been working in headphones. As Michael filled him in, the others crowded around Paul, asking who was coming.

"I invited Diana to come, because she did awesome on the trivia during the ten-hour podcast, plus she happens to live around here. She agreed to meet us here in…" Paul checked his watch. "About now, actually."

As soon as he said that, there was a quiet knock on the door. Meteo got up and opened it, revealing a brunette with hazel eyes and a shy smile on her face. "Hi, I'm Diana," she said. "Is this GameCola?"

"Yep, come on in," Meteo responded, opening the door wider and letting her in. Paul greeted her and introduced her to everyone.

"So, you know why you're here, right?" Paul said eagerly.

"To judge some sort of competition?" Diana replied, looking a little confused.

"Not just any competition! The GameCola Annual Beard Compeition!" Paul practically yelled with excitement.

"Oh, um, ok," Diana said slowly, backing up just the tiniest bit, looking at the other people and seeing that none of them had a beard to compete with Paul. "Well, who's competing?"

"That part doesn't matter," said Paul impatiently. "Just tell me that my beard is the best and we can move on and play some videogames or something!"

"Well, alright, then." But before she could say a word, her bag glowed with a faint light.

"Hey Diana, your bag's glowing," said Nathaniel, poking it gingerly.

"Oh, whoops!" said Diana, opening her purse and digging around in it. "Hmm, that's strange," she muttered, pulling out a pink DS Lite. It was glowing around the edges, showing that inside, the screens must be glowing a bright white. "Why is my technology so temperamental?" she whined.

"Did you leave it on?" Matt asked curiously, as she set it down on the table and everyone gathered around it.

"Yeah, I may or may not have been playing Phoenix Wright on the way over here," she admitted sheepishly, grinning. Paul let out a barely audible groan, but everyone knew he was kidding. Diana flipped open the DS. As she did, lightning flashed, followed by a huge clap of thunder, and the lights in the hotel room flickered and went out, leaving the bright white screens as the only light. They all met each other's eyes. Their faces all looked eerie, lit up in the pale glow.

"Hey, guys, something's happening," Michael said in a hushed voice, pointing at the DS. A text box had appeared and words were appearing in it, making the usual Phoenix Wright beeping sounds. The name read '?'

_Finally… I have found you. The people who will help me achieve my plan of universe destruction. _

"Wait, what?" said Diana nervously. "That definitely doesn't sound good." She hesitantly tapped on the screen with her stylus.

_Don't be afraid, my dear test subjects. This won't hurt… hopefully._

"I don't like this-" began Paul suspiciously, but as he said that, the white light seemed to get brighter, so bright it was opaque. They all managed one more confused, and in some people's cases, scared, glances at each other before their vision faded to blank white and they could remember no more.

* * *

The mysterious person closed their DS in satisfaction. They were all here now. The only problem was there was no telling where they would show up. The person sat back, sighing. Fate would work out in the end, he supposed. No matter where they were, if they were here for long enough, this whole 'Ace Attorney' world, as they called it, would unravel.

"Phoenix Wright, you've wronged me for the last time!"


	2. A Trick, A New Friend, and a Murder

**Hello all! Here's chapter 2 of TurnaboutCola! I barely had time to finish this, as Bella and I are preparing our cosplay costumes for our anime convention/Phoenix Wright movie screening in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS! I'm going as Young Ema and Bella is going as Investigations Ema. We actually got together today to make our pins, play Super Smash Bros. Brawl, you know the drill. But I still found time to upload this, with only one error pointed out by the illustrious editor-in-chief of GameCola, Paul Franzen-my own name. Let me tell you, it's hard to remember to write your own name when you're so used to writing "Madeline this" or "Madeline that"! I had to go through this chapter at least five times and I still missed one, so thanks for pointing that out, Paul! Also, this story will be featured on the GameCola website soon with a beautiful graphic Paul made. I'm going to see if I can shrink it down to make it the cover of this story thanks to the new Image Manager thingy. But I've talked your ear off long enough, heck, you probably all scrolled right through this... Ok, enjoy!**

**~Diana**

* * *

_As Michael takes up a new post in the Ace Attorney universe, the unthinkable happens to Paul…_

* * *

Diana came to in the pitch dark. She waved her hand in front of her face, but she couldn't see it. Hesitantly shifting around, she tried to get a feel for her surroundings. Her foot connected with something soft and distinctly human-like and she let out a small squeak of surprise. "Hello?" she whispered nervously. "Who's there?"

She could make out the faint outline of the person as they groaned and put a hand to their head. "Wh-What happened?" a familiar voice asked shakily.

"Michael!" she breathed in relief. She reached around, feeling for a light switch of some kind. Her fingers finally came into contact with a string and she pulled. Golden light flooded the room, which appeared to be a supply closet of some kind. "Are you okay?" Diana asked, dropping to her knees next to Michael.

"Yeah, fine," he replied, pushing himself up into a sitting position and looking around. "Where are we?"

"Well, I think we're in a closet of some kind," Diana said absently. "But why? And how did we get here? And where are the others?" Michael shrugged. He didn't know the answers to any of the questions the teen was asking. He stood up.

"So we're going to have to work out a way to get out of here…" He began to pace around the cramped space. "What would Nancy Drew do? Or Professor Layton?" He began to get excited. "Or maybe… we need LOGIC TI-"

"Or we could try the door," Diana interrupted, marching over to the door and jiggling the knob. It turned easily and she poked her head out into the hallway. It was tiled in alternating light blue and dark blue tiles and the walls were lined with mahogany doors, each with its own golden nameplate. Diana found it unnervingly familiar.

Seeing that no one was coming, she took a step out, her sparkling silver Toms not making a sound on the tile floor. She turned around to look for Michael. He was still in the closet, looking a little crestfallen. "Are you coming?" she asked. He nodded quickly and followed her as she cautiously explored the hallway. "I just can't shake this feeling," she muttered, barely loud enough for him to hear. "This place looks really familiar."

"I know," Michael replied, then almost ran into her as she stopped short after turning a corner.

"No way," she breathed. There was a basketball hoop pressed against the wall. "It can't be," she said slowly, walking towards it.

"Diana, wait!" Michael called, hurrying after her.

"How many office buildings with a basketball hoop in the hallway can there be?" she said, her voice almost hysterical now. She looked at the door to the left. There was no nameplate on it, just a slightly lighter rectangular mark that indicated a nameplate had been recently taken off. She almost stopped breathing as she looked toward the next door. "Michael," she murmured. "I think I know where we are." Right as she said that, the door she had her eye on opened and Diana just about had a heart attack at the figure that emerged.

"Oh my goodness," Michael said in shock.

"M-m-m," Diana stammered, not loud enough for anyone to hear. The man was leaning back into the office he had come out of, saying something to someone inside. This gave the pair ample time to examine him. Diana's eyes dropped to the floor, slowly making their way up. Black dress shoes, suit in a deep shade of burgundy, white ruffled cravat around his neck. Her gaze moved to his face, which was now facing them: black hair parted in the middle, piercing gray eyes which were focused on them, and mouth turned down into a small frown.

"Miles Edgeworth," Diana whispered, her hazel eyes wide. He looked the pair up and down. Diana blushed slightly; in their casual clothes, they didn't exactly look like they should be running around what was undoubtedly the Prosecutor's Office.

"Who are you?" he asked. His voice sent shivers up Diana's spine; it sounded exactly like she'd always imagined.

"Um…" _Brilliant, Diana, brilliant. _It seemed like Michael was as lost for words as she was, for there was no sound from behind her.

"Miles, perhaps they're the new prosecutor and assistant we were told about this morning," came a woman's voice and Diana turned pale.

"Oh my goodness," she said, echoing Michael's earlier exclamation, as a petite woman with raven black hair and sparkling gray eyes exited the office, carefully closing the door behind her. She looked and sounded exactly like Diana had imagined her, even the small scar on her forehead and the professional business clothes fit the image in the young author's head. She practically had tears in her eyes from seeing her creation living and breathing right in front of her.

"Diana, who's that?" Michael whispered to her as the prosecutor turned to speak with the young woman.

"That's Madeline, my OC," Diana muttered back frantically. Seeing Michael's slightly confused expression, she continued. "My own character, and no, she's not from Metroid, okay?"

Michael smirked, he remembered that podcast. Before he could comment, Miles Edgeworth turned back to face them. "So, are you the new prosecutor and legal aide?" he asked them. Diana turned to look at Michael briefly before meeting the prosecutor's cold gaze.

"Yes, sir," she replied. Michael made a sound of surprise and the teen stepped on his foot to shut him up before continuing. "I'm Diana Gray, legal aide, and this is Michael Gray, prosecutor."

"A pleasure," Edgeworth replied, giving them a small bow. "I am Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth, and this is my legal aide, Madeline Brent." Madeline nodded in greeting.

"I must ask, are you two related? You have the same last name," she asked, smiling.

"No!" they both replied at the same time, then looked embarrassed. "Or at least not that we know of," Diana clarified, looking at Michael again and grinning.

"Also, Miss Gray, have we met before? Your name seems oddly familiar," Madeline said, giving the other woman a searching look.

Diana's eyes grew wide. "Um, no, Miss Brent, I don't believe we have met," she said carefully. Madeline nodded and looked lost in thought for a moment.

Edgeworth spoke again. "Prosecutor Gray, Miss Gray, your office is this one right here." He pointed to the office that Diana knew had once belonged to Jacques Portsman and stifled a laugh. Oh, the irony.

Edgeworth beckoned to Michael to step to the side. "Yes, sir?" Michael said. He was still a little stunned by the situation. Were they really in the world of Ace Attorney? One look at the man in front of him told him that this was very real.

"I have been placed in charge of your training at this office, so come and talk to me if you have any questions," he said curtly. Michael nodded. "But if you'll excuse us, we have a meeting to attend." He called to Madeline, who bid them goodbye, then the prosecutor and assistant disappeared down the hallway. Michael turned to Diana, who was looking after them.

"Diana, what have you gotten us into?" he asked, frowning a little. He was clueless on how to be a prosecutor! She turned to him and winked.

"When in the Ace Attorney universe, do as they do," she said, opening the door to their new office. "Let's make ourselves at home, Prosecutor Gray."

* * *

Nathaniel opened his eyes abruptly. He sat up and looked around. He appeared to be in the middle of a park on a grassy hill. Christian, Matt, and Meteo were lying on their backs, apparently still unconscious. He wondered where they were and what had happened to the storm. Groans next to him caused him to look over. Everyone else was waking up.

"Whoa, what happened?" Christian said, sitting up.

"Where are we?" Matt asked, looking around. They were on a hill in the middle of a park. People were casually strolling by on gravel pathways, and some were giving the guys odd looks.

"I don't know, but we should probably try to figure it out," said Meteo, staring right back at the people who were looking at them.

"WAAAAHH! Kristal, come back!" A loud cry echoed over the hill. A blonde woman in a very short skirt ran by them, stepping on Meteo's hand.

"Hey, watch where you're going, you-" The impending curse word was lost as a another person literally tripped right over him. The two rolled down the hill, with the other guys following behind. The guys, now lying on the gravel path at the bottom of the hill, disentangled themselves from each other. Meteo's face was red with anger. "What's the big idea?" he yelled at the unfortunate man in the orange jacket who was struggling to get up. Sparkling tears were pouring down in his face.

"What's going on?" Nathaniel said as he, Matt, and Christian arrived at the bottom of the hill.

"You saw him just knock me down the hill. Why'd you ask what's going on?" Meteo said in irritation. Nathaniel and Christian grabbed the arms of the orange-jacketed man and hoisted him to his feet while Matt tried to calm down Meteo.

"You look familiar," said Christian to the man.

"I'm Larry. Larry Butz," the man sniffled, looking in the direction the attractive blonde girl had gone.

"Larry Butz?" said Nathaniel incredulously. As in the character from Ace Attorney Larry Butz? "Are you okay?"

"No, not really," he moaned. "That blonde hottie that just ran by, she is…well, she was… my girlfriiieeeennddd…" He fell back into sobbing.

Clothes, check. Womanizer, check. Crybaby, check. This was definitely Larry Butz.

He quickly gathered his friends in a circle, leaving Larry on the outside. "Guys, I think we have a problem."

"Are you talking about me? You're talking about me, aren't you?" Larry wailed.

"Either we're in the Ace Attorney universe or we've been magically transported to a sunny park with a really determined cosplayer," Nathaniel continued, ignoring the man behind them.

"Although neither sound probable," said Matt slowly, "remembering the events in the hotel room, I think the first option seems the more likely."

"So what are we going to do?" Christian said.

"I think we need to track down the others, then figure out what's going on," Meteo replied. He seemed to have calmed down a little bit.

"Hey, uh, Larry," said Nathaniel, turning around. "Can you help us out?"

Larry gave them a thumbs up and a shaky smile. "Sure, buddies, whaddya need?"

They all looked at each other. How about a way home? "Well, we kind of need a place to stay," Nathaniel said. "We're new here."

"Oh, I gotcha. I know the perfect place. I can get you guys a place at the Gatewater!"

"The hotel?" Nathaniel asked curiously.

"Hey, you know it! I thought you'd never been here!" Larry said, his eyes brightening with confusion, which was quickly dispelled.

"Yeah, um, we've heard of it."

"Well, I've got an in with one of the maids who knows the manager, she can get you one of the rooms." Larry looked triumphant.

"Would you mind getting us a room?" Matt asked.

"Sure! You guys listened to me, more than I can say for Nick or Edgey sometimes!" Larry started to lead them through the park, which he called People Park, chattering animatedly to whichever guy happened to be the closest. The others walked close together, talking quietly.

"What's our first move?" Matt said, frowning.

"I think we'd better track down our fearless leader first," said Christian. "Then Michael and Diana, because they'll probably be the most knowledgeable about where we are… I wonder where they are?"

* * *

Jeddy woke up in a small dark room. "Ugh," he groaned, sitting up and feeling for a light switch. When he finally found one, he yelled in shock at what he saw.

Paul, also unconscious on the floor, came to as Jeddy yelled. "Hey, Jeddy, what's wrong? Why'd you yell?" he asked, trying to stay calm. Jeddy was looking at him like he was a madman.

"Wh-who are you? How do you know my name?" he said loudly, backing up.

"Jeddy, it's me, Paul." Paul was sure his friend was just being silly. Or maybe he couldn't see. The light in the small room wasn't the best. He had an odd feeling that he couldn't shake, however. That something was different.

Jeddy had been backing toward the door. He threw it open and tried to run out, but tripped on an inconveniently placed ladder and fell to the ground, knocking himself out again.

* * *

Phoenix Wright had not been having a good day. First Maya had taken all of his money to go buy burgers, then she had hogged the small office T.V. all day to watch the Steel Samurai marathon, and his tie had fallen in the toilet while he was cleaning it because a loud shout from Maya had startled him. As he furiously tried to blot his tie, there came yelling and a loud crash from outside. "Maya, was that you?" he called.

"No!" Maya stuck her head in the outer office. "We should go check it out, Nick!"

Phoenix sighed and opened the outside door. The sight that met his eyes was a very unusual one. A man was lying unconscious in the hallway, sprawled over a ladder.

"Why is there a ladder here?" he muttered. Maya poked his arm.

"Nick, that's a stepladder," she said firmly. Phoenix ignored her. Another man was looking at the unconscious body in confusion.

"Sir, what happened here?" Phoenix asked. When the man looked up at him, his eyes grew wide.

"P-Phoenix Wright?"

"Sorry? Have we met?"

"No, no." The man suddenly caught sight of his reflection in a mirror hanging on the wall of the hallway. He let out a strangled yell, clapping his hands to his cheeks. "It's gone!"

"I'm sorry, what's gone?" Phoenix was utterly lost. Maya had knelt down to check on the guy on the floor.

"My beard! It's gone! And right before the beard competition, too!" The man looked like he was going into hysterics.

"Hey, mister?" Maya said from the floor. She was fingering something in the guy's jacket pocket. "What color was your beard?"

"I really don't want to talk about it," the man replied almost tearfully.

"Cause I think I found it," Maya said, pulling out a razor from the man's pocket. It had strands of hair caught in it.

"Jeddy!" The man looked furious now. "Jeddy murdered my beard?" Apparently he decided to go with this conclusion. "Oh, I always knew he was jealous…" He trailed off with unintelligible mumbling.

"Sir? Can we figure this out?" Phoenix asked, desperately trying to maintain some hold on the situation. "What's your name?"

"I'm Paul," the man (Paul) said distractedly. He was still touching his face like he couldn't believe it was real.

"And you're accusing this man, Jeddy, of murdering your… beard?" Phoenix asked in confusion.

"Yes! Call the police, will you!"

"This is the police!" _Well, speak of the devil, _Phoenix thought. Detective Gumshoe shoved his way down the hallway. "We received a report of noise, pal."

"Detective, it's good that you're here," said Paul, hurrying over to him. "This man is a murderer!"

"A murderer, pal! Who'd he kill?" Gumshoe looked concerned.

Paul gestured to himself. "He killed my beard!"

Phoenix looked at the detective. There was no way he would take this seriously. But to his surprise, Gumshoe looked outraged. "A beard murder, pal. That's sad," he said, shaking his head.

As is on cue, Jeddy began to come around. "Ung…" he groaned. "What happened?"

"Jeddy, you are a cold, heartless murderer," Paul said, shaking his head.

"You're under arrest, pal!" Gumshoe said, hauling poor Jeddy to his feet.

"Paul, is that you?" Jeddy asked, looking confused. "Where's your beard? What happened to it?"

"How dare you even ask that?" Paul said angrily.

"Mysterious person known as Jeddy, you're under arrest for the murder of Paul's beard. You have the right to remain silent…" the voice of Gumshoe trailed off as did Jeddy's cries.

"No! Paul, please! I'm innocent!"

Paul looked sadly after his friend before trudging in the opposite direction. Phoenix and Maya looked after him, then looked at each other. "We gonna defend him, Nick?" Maya asked determinedly.

"Yep."

* * *

It took Paul a few minutes of wandering around outside to realize what he'd just seen. Wait… that was Phoenix Wright. What?

* * *

The mysterious person quickly snuck out the back exit of the office building. It was a good thing the person had managed to track down at least two of them. He was still burning with quiet rage and jealousy. That man's beard… _Something had to be done,_ the person thought firmly, frowning as they called for a taxi. _And I must say, framing the friend was pure genius. _ And with this new delay, the "others" (as they were called in the person's mind) were going to be forced to be here for longer and longer, disrupting the stability of the Ace Attorney universe. Yes, it really was a genius plan, the person thought, leaning back on the taxi seat in satisfaction. Only fitting for the unrecognized genius of the Ace Attorney series.


	3. A New Case and an Interrogation

**Hey guys! So tomorrow I head to my anime convention with Bella and Mizuki. I'm Rise from the Ashes Ema, Bella is Investigations Ema, and Mizuki is someone from Sailor Moon. Edit: Turns out she was Sailor Moon. Duh, Diana. We see the Ace Attorney movie on Saturday or Sunday and I'm pretty sure this will be a great weekend. Anyways, here's another chapter before I go. Another typo pointed out by the amazing editor Paul-no more proofreading at 1 AM for me! Hope you guys enjoy this. Also, another quick announcement, if you submit fanart I will use as the cover for the story of your choice and I'll give you credit in the description. I wonder if I can persuade people at the convention to do fan art for me... Kisses!**

**~Diana**

* * *

_Jeddy retains the services of a certain spiky-haired lawyer in his pending court case against Paul…_

* * *

Behind the closed door of their new office, Michael and Diana were arguing about whose cell phone ringtone was cooler. Michael was sitting comfortable in his new desk chair while Diana was perched on the edge of the desk. "I mean seriously, listen to mine!" Diana said, pressing play. The Steel Samurai theme song rang through the room. It was in the style of Phoenix Wright's ringtone

"That's nice, but mine is so much cooler!" Michael replied, pulling out his phone. The Nancy Drew theme played loudly and Diana frowned.

"That is pretty cool," she admitted grudgingly.

Just then the door opened and Miles Edgeworth entered. "Prosecutor Edgeworth!" Diana exclaimed, jumping off the edge of the desk where she'd been sitting, her cheeks pink. She took up a position next to the desk, hands folded behind her back.

"Good afternoon, Miss Gray," the burgundy suited prosecutor responded. Then he turned his attention to Michael, who was sitting behind the desk trying to look somewhat professional.

"Can I help you, Prosecutor Edgeworth?" he asked politely. Edgeworth dropped the folder he was holding on the desk, and both Diana and Michael stared at it.

"Prosecutor Gray, this is your first case." The pair looked at each other, eyes wide.

"A-a case? Already?" Michael stuttered.

"Yes," Edgeworth replied matter-of-factly. "We are all currently occupied with at least one case…or four or five," he muttered under his breath. Diana felt a surge of sympathy; it wasn't his fault that he was the greatest prosecutor in the area.

"We'll take it!" she interjected enthusiastically and Edgeworth gave her a funny look.

"Miss Gray, you don't really have a choice."

"Oh…" she trailed off awkwardly, turning and shuffling some random papers on her desk.

"Mr. Gray, the case goes to court in two days. I expect you to use tomorrow to investigate. All the information you need is inside the case file. Be sure to give it a good read before you do anything, understood?" Edgeworth was getting slightly more menacing by the second. It seemed obvious that he didn't like leaving a case to rookies.

"Y-yes, sir," Michael stammered, feeling a bit overwhelmed. Edgeworth could apparently sense this.

"Don't worry too much, Gray. It's a fairly open-and-shut case." Michael nodded weakly and Edgeworth shook his hand and exited the office without another word.

Michael and Diana looked at each other. "We got a case!" they both said at the same time, but with very different emotion behind it. Diana sounded excited, while Michael sounded scared to death.

"Well, let's look at it!" Diana said happily, dancing over to the desk and snatching up the case file.

"Hey, don't I get to read it first?" Michael asked, trying to take it from her, but something in her face stopped him. "What is it, Diana?"

"Oh my goodness," she muttered, her hazel eyes wide. She handed him the file. "You should probably read this."

He opened it to the first page. "What!"

**Case Number FJ-7**

**Crime: Murder**

**Victim: Beard of Mr. Paul Franzen**

**Defendant: Mr. Alex Jedraszczak (in custody)**

"So Paul's beard was murdered, and Jeddy's the prime suspect?" Diana asked incredulously.

"And we're the prosecution," Michael completed grimly.

"Oh no…" Dianamurmured faintly, collapsing into a chair. Michael couldn't believe this was happening. "What do we do?" she asked him.

"I need to talk to Paul, find out what happened," Michael replied. Diana nodded.

"Call him," she said. "I'm going to go talk to Edgeworth." She hoped Michael didn't notice the faint tremor in her voice. She couldn't lie; the prosecutor intimidated her quite a bit.

"Why?"

"If I can convince him that we have a personal involvement in this case, maybe we can get out of it." Michael nodded and pulled out his phone, searching for Paul's number.

Diana stepped out into the hallway, sighing. She thought that they'd been adjusting rather well to life in the Ace Attorney universe, until this huge setback. She'd barely taken a step when another thought stopped her in her tracks: if they didn't prosecute this case, what if a competent prosecutor took the case? She paled; what if Edgeworth took the case? Jeddy would be in big trouble.

"Miss Gray?" A voice rang out through the hallway. Diana turned to see Madeline coming toward her. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she replied absently. "Just, you know, got our case."

"Oh yes, Miles told me he was giving you the Franzen case," Madeline said conversationally. "Are you excited? Your very first case, huh?"

"Yeah," Diana said unwillingly. Madeline looked a little concerned, but decided not to comment on it. Diana continued on. "Well, I'd better get back in there. Michael is hopefully getting in touch with some of our friends now, so we have a place to stay tonight." She winced inwardly. She probably shouldn't have mentioned that she didn't have a place to stay, especially judging from the look on Madeline's face.

"You don't have a place to stay?"

"Yeah, coming here was kind of…unexpected," Diana replied slowly. Madeline gave her a strange look again, but her expression softened into sympathy.

"Well, I'm not letting you stay with a bunch of guys – they are all guys, right?" she asked, tilting her head. Diana nodded sheepishly. "You can stay with me tonight, if you want."

"Really?" Diana said in surprise. She had written Madeline to be generous, but she hadn't imagined anything like this.

"Sure," Madeline replied, grinning. "Truth be told, I get kind of lonely sometimes. It'd be nice to have another girl around."

"As opposed to…?" Diana said curiously. Madeline fell suspiciously silent. Diana decided to ignore it and continued. "I'd love to stay with you. And I promise, it'll be for only a few nights at most."

"Don't worry about it, Miss Gray," Madeline replied, smiling. "Just meet me in the parking lot at around six."

"Oh, um, you can call me Diana, if you want," Diana said quickly. Madeline nodded.

"Then I'm Madeline," she replied, then disappeared down the hallway. Diana grinned happily, then slipped back inside the office to find Michael hanging up his phone.

"Paul didn't pick up," he said, discouraged.

"Why don't we try some of the other guys? Nathanial or Christian?" Diana said hopefully.

"Ok, I'll try Nathaniel." There was a tense pause, then Michael spoke again. "Nathaniel? Hi, it's Michael." Diana let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. So they were here! "Where are you?" Michael asked. Diana quickly realized she was at a disadvantage, as she could only hear one half of the conversation.

"Really? You're there? And you have-" Diana was dying. Her naturally curious side wanted to know what was being said. "And is everyone… uh huh…" Michael paused for a moment, listening to Nathaniel. "Ok, Diana is with me, so we'll be over a bit later. We've got news." He said goodbye and hung up. "Everyone except Paul and Jeddy is at a room at the Gatewater with Larry."

"Larry Butz?" Diana asked excitedly.

Michael nodded. "So we can go stay with them-"

"Oh, actually, Madeline said I could stay at her place…so you guys don't have to put up with me," Diana said, unable to hold in her excitement.

"Oh, ok then," Michael replied. "I guess I'll meet you here tomorrow then, so we can investigate."

"Sure thing," Diana said, checking her watch. 5:45. It would probably take her 15 minutes to find the parking lot. "You gonna be okay?" she asked, looking at Michael worriedly.

"Yeah, I'll just catch a taxi and head to the Gatewater," Michael replied, twirling the keys to the office around his finger.

"Okay, let's go!" And with that, the pair left the office (Michael carefully locking the door behind them, case file shoved under his arm), and proceeded to wander around the Prosecutor's Office until they stumbled upon the parking lot.

* * *

A bright light shattered the darkness. "Ow," Jeddy muttered, shielding his eyes.

"Oh, sorry, pal." The light was quickly adjusted so it was not shining directly in Jeddy's face anymore.

"Thanks." The light barely illuminated the small room; the only thing visible to Jeddy was the shaky table in front of him and the silhouette of the detective who had arrested him. Jeddy knew it was Detective Gumshoe.

"So pal, you know why you're here?" Gumshoe asked gruffly.

Jeddy briefly wondered if playing dumb would be a good idea. He decided to go for it. "Not really," he said nonchalantly, or so he thought. There was still a faint tremble to his voice.

"Hey pal, don't pretend you don't know!" Gumshoe said loudly, leaning forward. Jeddy finally saw him for the first time and was surprised. His eyebrows were just as impressive in real life as they were in the game. "You've been arrested for the murder of the beard of a Mr. Paul Franzen. Ring any bells, pal?"

"I didn't do it!" Jeddy said defensively. Gumshoe smirked at him.

"Hey, pal. The murder weapon was found in your pocket. You can't get much better evidence than that."

"What murder weapon?" Jeddy asked in confusion. He had no idea what was going on, and to be honest, he still wasn't convinced this entire thing was even real.

"There was a razor found in your pocket, pal. Highly incriminating," Gumshoe said, frowning and raising an eyebrow.

Jeddy stifled a laugh. "Is this a joke? This can't be real," he snorted. "You can't be taking a "murder" of a _beard_ this seriously."

"I assure you, this is very serious," Gumshoe replied darkly. His tone sounded far graver than it ever was in the game, even if he was only text. He shuffled through some papers in front of him. "We have more questions for you later, so don't even think about relaxing. But you have a visitor."

Jeddy's hopes soared. Maybe it was Paul and they could get this whole thing straightened out. A guard came in to escort him to the visitor's room as Jeddy allowed his thoughts to run away with him. Or maybe it was Michael or Nathanial or any of the other GameCola guys, who'd heard and come rushing to help. He took a seat and looked out the clear window. His jaw dropped. The man in front of him was unmistakable. Blue suit, red tie, small gold badge on the lapel, black spiky hair. Phoenix Wright was sitting in front of him.

"Hello Mr. Jed-… Mr. Jedra…" Phoenix looked uneasy, looking down at the papers in his lap, maybe the case file or something.

"Y-you can call me Jeddy," Jeddy said helpfully. He couldn't believe this was happening; the famous attorney, Phoenix Wright, was sitting in front of him? He jumped as a brown eye peeked around the edge of the window, framed by dark black bangs.

"Hi Jeddy! I'm Maya!" came a voice Jeddy could only assume came from the owner of the eye.

"And I'm Phoenix Wright," the attorney said, a bit anticlimactically, as Jeddy already knew who he was. He just… couldn't believe it.

"Nice to meet you," Jeddy said faintly, still trying to figure out how this was happening. Phoenix and Maya were characters in a videogame, for crying out loud!

"So, we saw what happened," Phoenix said. "We want to defend you."

"R-really?"

"Well, sure. We think your innocent, so… Can we ask you a few questions?" The look in Phoenix's eyes was earnest.

"Sure," Jeddy replied. He was really surprised that Phoenix would even consider defending him, but as Phoenix pulled out a pen and notepad and Maya slid fully into view, fiddling with the chain of her Magatama, he finally got the sense that maybe, just maybe, he'd get out of this mess.

* * *

Nathaniel, Matt, Christian, and Meteo opened the door to their room in the Gatewater. According to Larry, he'd had to do a lot of wheeling and dealing to get a room for them tonight, but he'd pulled through. And the room was nice, very nice. It had a front room with two couches and a large television. Connected to it was another room with another couch and a small kitchenette, leading to two more bedrooms with two twin beds each.

"Wow, Larry. I'm impressed, this is really nice," said Matt, raising an eyebrow. Meteo let out a low whistle.

Larry put his hands in his pockets and tried to look like it was no big deal. "Yeah, Charice is really into me. She gives me practically anything here, in return for… certain favors," he said with an attempt at a casual air. Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Hey," said Meteo suddenly. He'd been examining the T.V. and probably tuning them out entirely. "There's some games here." He picked some up, examining them. "Steel Samurai, Steel Samurai Strikes Again, Steel Samurai: Revenge of the Evil Magistrate." He snorted. "Someone seems to have an obsession with the Steel Samurai."

"Hey, don't be hatin'!" Larry exclaimed, rushing over and grabbing the games out of Meteo's hands and pressing them to his chest. "Charice is a huge videogame fan and she LOVES the Steel Samurai, so be careful with those, they aren't cheap!" A sudden vision of Larry and a girl in a skimpy maid outfit playing videogames in this hotel room popped into everyone's head.

"I kind of want to meet her," Nathaniel said, glancing at the others and attempting to send a telepathic message for them to go along with it. Apparently they didn't receive it, as they all gave him very strange looks. But Larry seemed pretty enthusiastic as he nodded, babbling random nonsense about how they were going to love her, and ran out the door.

Everyone turned to Nathaniel accusingly. "I'm not really into the idea of meeting Larry's latest girlfriend," Christian grumbled, frowning. The others bore similar expressions.

"Guys, I don't really care about meeting her either. I just wanted to get him out of the room so we could talk freely." Expressions of realization crossed everyone's faces. "So, how are we going to get home?" Suddenly his phone rang, a loud theme from Megaman. He dug it out of his pocket, checking the caller ID. "It's Michael Gray," he said aloud, quickly answering. "Hello?"

The others tried to listen in as Nathaniel continued. "Yeah, we're at the Gatewater… Yeah, we have a room. We met Larry Butz and he sweet-talked one of the maids into giving us a room. Uh-huh… Yeah, everyone's here except Paul and Jeddy. You have Diana? Okay. We'll see you a bit later then. Bye."

He looked up at the guys, who'd been hanging on to every word. "He said he'll be over later. He has Diana, and news." The others looked at each other and raised eyebrows. News?

"So, back to our earlier dilemma…" Matt said quietly. "How are we going to get home?"

The words had barely made it out of his mouth when there was a knock on the door. "He can't be back already," Meteo muttered, going to open the door. "Can I help you?" he asked the unfamiliar face.

"Meteo, it's me."

Meteo looked closer. Did he know this person? "Nope, pretty sure we haven't met."

"What's going on, Meteo?" The other guys crowded in around him. "Who is this?"

"Seriously? You guys don't recognize me?" the guy at the door said. Come to think of it, his voice did sound a little familiar…

"I feel like I know you…" said Christian, thinking hard.

"Ok, seriously guys? It's me, Paul! I found you guys by asking the hotel bellboy if there was a room under the name GameCola. Thank god you guys registered under that."

"What? Paul?" they all said at the same time.

"B-but Paul-" Meteo began.

Matt cut him off. "You don't have-"

Nathaniel exploded. "Your beard?"

Paul frowned. "I know, I know, my beard is my most defining feature. Well, it was. It's a long story." The others let him into the room and Paul filled them in on everything that had happened in the office building.

"Really? So now Jeddy is in jail for murdering your beard?" Matt asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Paul said, frowning. "I mean, I feel bad, but all the evidence points to him…"

"This is crazy!" Christian muttered, collapsing onto a couch. "So now not only are we stranded in some kind of alternate universe, two of us are still missing and one of us is in jail. How are we ever going to get home?"

* * *

The mysterious mastermind locked the door to their own office with a satisfied smirk. Today had been a good day. The person had managed to find out the location of every single one of the 'others' and successfully manipulated it so they'd be here for a long time. It was a bit worrisome that they were all gathered together tonight, but odds were they'd never figure out how to get home.

The person smirked. How surprised they'd be when they found out the trick to get home was right under their noses! That girl, the person thought, frowning a little, she could be trouble. She reminded him too much of that legal aide, the one with the gray eyes. Not to mention, this girl held the key to getting the 'others' home. _But there's no way they'll ever figure it out_, the person thought reassuringly. _And even if they do, there's no way they'll leave without all of their friends. And I've made sure that one friend of theirs will stay locked up for a long time…_


	4. Close Calls and Hotel Hijinks

**Hey guys! Diana here! Sorry for the lack of updates, but writer's block hit, and hit hard. Worst I've ever had it! But that doesn't matter, the chapter's here now! Hope you guys enjoy it and review! I'm gonna be AWOL for a week, headed to Vegas, fun!... Not really. I'm not legally old enough to do fun stuff in Vegas! But it's ok, I'll just write fanfiction and listen to the credits song from the Phoenix Wright movie on repeat... It's gonna be a long week.**

**~Diana**

* * *

_Diana talks things over with her own OC, while the GC crew tries to plan their next move…_

* * *

Diana watched Michael find a taxi and climb in, saying a few words to the driver. He stuck his head out the back window. "You going to be okay?" he asked. She nodded, smiling.

"Go check on those guys," she called back, laughing a little. "They're going to need you!" He nodded and with a wave, the taxi sped off into the night.

Diana wrapped her arms around herself. It was getting a little chilly out and her thin t-shirt and jeans did practically nothing to help her keep warm. A tap on her shoulder made her jump. "Eep!" she squeaked, turning around.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" Madeline looked apologetic, frowning slightly.

"Oh, no, it's okay! You didn't- uh, I mean, I… never mind." Truth be told, Diana felt a little nervous around the other woman. She had to tread carefully and not reveal that she knew too much. But at the same time she was excited. What other author got to say they had face-to-face time with their OC?

"Alright, well, we're over here," Madeline said, her heels clicking on the pavement as she walked in the other direction.

"Wait, we?" Diana followed her quickly. As she rounded around a taller car, her face turned pale. She'd forgotten about this little detail. Madeline danced over to Miles Edgeworth, who was waiting somewhat impatiently by his fancy red sports car. Diana didn't miss the look he gave his assistant: his eyes softened and his lips turned up in a tiny smile.

"Come on!" Madeline called, grinning and beckoning. When Edgeworth saw Diana, his face fell back into its customary disapproving expression and he muttered something to Madeline. She smacked him on the arm, frowning. Diana blushed (getting the sense that they were talking about her) and walked over shyly. "Miles always drives me home," Madeline said happily.

"Right…" Diana climbed into the back seat quietly as Edgeworth held open Madeline's door. The other woman slid in, turning around to look at Diana.

"You okay?"

"Oh, yeah, fine," Diana replied, attempting a smile. Edgeworth took his seat and started the car.

"So Miss Gray, you're staying with Madeline tonight?" he asked, not looking at her as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Yes, sir," Diana replied quietly, feeling very intimidated. Madeline seemed to sense Diana's discomfort, as she engaged Edgeworth in conversation about cases the entire car ride. Only once did Diana feel embarrassed: she turned from looking out the window to see their hands on the center section of the front seat, lightly lying on top of each other, fingers brushing. It was such a sweet moment that Diana was ashamed to witness it.

Finally, they pulled up to Madeline's apartment complex. Diana clambered out of the car while Edgeworth again opened Madeline's door and helped her out. "Miss Gray," he said shortly, inclining his head to her. She bobbed her head in return and quickly walked to the sidewalk, pretending to find the ground very interesting in order to avoid his gaze. She looked at everything: the stucco walls of the apartment building, the lush floral flowerbeds, the cars in the parking lot. Finally she snuck a peek at the prosecutor and her OC. What she saw caused her to turn bright red and quickly whip back around.

Madeline and Edgeworth were kissing, wrapped in each other's arms. They separated and Edgeworth gently kissed her forehead. She smiled and pecked him on the cheek one more time before saying some quick words to him and hurrying towards Diana. "Shall we go?" she asked breathlessly, still grinning.

"Um, sure," Diana said quietly, trying to pretend she hadn't seen what she'd just seen. She laughed to herself; she wrote these types of scenes on a practically a daily basis, she really shouldn't be embarrassed about this. She followed Madeline up four flights of stairs.

"Sorry there's no elevator or anything," Madeline apologized as they climbed. "This place is way too cheap to upgrade, but it's affordable for me. Besides, I've kind of gotten used to not taking them, because of Miles…"

"No problem," Madeline huffed (the stairs were quite steep). When Madeline looked away, she smiled. She specifically hadn't written an elevator in, for obvious reasons, but she regretted it a little bit now.

Finally, they arrived at Madeline's fourth floor apartment. She unlocked the door and opened it, flipping on the lights as she entered. Diana paused in the doorway. "Well, come in!" Madeline said, looking back at her guest. Diana was in shock. The room looked EXACTLY like it did in her imagination. Right as she walked in, she saw a small kitchen area with a bar for eating breakfast. Visible behind that was the living area, containing a slightly worn couch with a suspicious stain on one of the arms, coffee table piled with case files, and a cabinet containing a television and some picture frames, full of pictures of everyone from the Ace Attorney cast. There was a door beyond the couch that must lead to Madeline's bedroom. She'd disappeared into it a few seconds ago. Diana awkwardly ventured into the living room, perching herself on the edge of the couch.

Madeline emerged from her room quietly and studied her guest for a moment. "Diana," she said suddenly. "Are you sure we haven't met before? I feel like I know you…" Diana hastily shook her head, but Madeline could feel the nervous air surrounding the other woman. She decided to let it go for now. "Do you have any other clothes?" she asked. Diana shook her head again, slower this time. "Wow, you really didn't come with anything, did you?" Madeline said, laughing. "Here, let's see if I have anything you can use."

A few minutes later, they both wore yoga pants and t-shirts and were sitting at the tiled breakfast bar eating rice, which Diana had quickly discovered was one of Madeline's favorite foods. She wondered if it could be merely coincidence; she also happened to love rice.

"So," Madeline said, putting her fork down to look at Diana. "Tell me about yourself. I don't really know anything about you."

"Okay, as long as you'll answer the questions as well. I don't know much about you either," Diana lied through her teeth. She knew quite a bit about Madeline, but was quite curious to find out if there were things even she didn't know.

"Alright, you go first. Tell me about your family," Madeline said, grinning.

"Oh, um, I have younger sisters. We get along pretty well."

Madeline paused, waiting for her to say more. When it was clear that Diana was done, she began. "I have one older sister," she said, pushing her rice around on her plate. Diana winced, cold guilt sweeping over her. "I don't get to see her that much anymore."

"But Maya can still channel her, right?" she asked in a small voice, then turned pale. She probably wasn't supposed to know about that.

"How do you know Maya?" Madeline asked, a slight edge of suspicion in her voice. "I was under the impression that you'd just arrived here. Unless you knew her already… But she's never mentioned you." It seemed like she was saying this for her own benefit rather than Diana's, but nevertheless, her gray eyes burned into the other girl, who shifted uncomfortably.

"Uh, no, I don't actually know her," Diana replied quietly. "I-I've heard of her and I guess I just assumed, you know, since you've faced Phoenix Wright in court so many times, that, um, you guys would be friends." Inside, she was cursing herself and her big mouth. This could get bad, fairly quickly.

"There's another thing, though," Madeline said, her eyes still focused on Diana, even though the other woman was gazing steadily at the ground. "I never said my sister was dead." Diana started to panic a little and had to focus all she had to maintain her composure.

"I must have read about it somewhere," she said truthfully. She did often go back and read her own works. "I'm sorry." Madeline pursed her lips, obviously not sure if Diana was telling the truth. However, she had no proof that the other woman was lying, so she dropped it.

"Alright, next question then," Madeline continued briskly. She propped her chin on her hand, gazing at Diana and raising a perfect eyebrow. "It's been bothering me a little since I first saw you. You look… young." Diana bit her lip. "Exactly how old are you?"

Diana averted her eyes, playing with the food on her plate. "You can't expect me to own up to it," she whispered, the ghost of a smile forming on her lips.

"I'm 23, if that helps," Madeline said quietly. Diana took a moment to try and figure out where that put this Madeline in her timeline, but eventually gave up. She didn't really understand her own timeline anymore.

"I'm…" Well, this was a predicament. She sighed. "I'm… not nearly old enough to be who I say I am," she admitted reluctantly. Madeline frowned.

"What do you mean?" she asked softly.

The words seemed to spill out. "Going to law school and working in the Prosecutor's Office is my dream, but… I'm not there yet."

"And Mr. Gray? Is he who he says he is?" Her voice wasn't angry at the moment, simply curious.

"No," she replied, ashamed. "Neither of us have gone to law school and we don't have badges. B-but I want… No, I need to be here…" She trailed off, not exactly sure where she was going with this.

"I see," Madeline muttered.

Diana took a deep breath. "Please don't tell."

"And why shouldn't I?" Madeline asked coldly. Diana flinched. This was almost worse than anger. "You've lied to everyone around you, and you took advantage of my hospitality-"

"I would never-" Diana interrupted quickly, eyes wide. But Madeline continued.

"However, I'm not an unreasonable person. And it's not like I haven't bent a rule or two." She paused and smirked, possibly reliving a memory. "So I will give you one chance to explain. If you can convince me that you need to be here, then I won't turn you in."

Diana frowned. No pressure or anything. "Michael and I need to prosecute this case. Well, okay, I'm starting backwards. We were brought here, and I don't know why, but we were, and we got kind of sucked up in this whole prosecutor thing, but then the case with Paul and Jeddy was given to us and we have to do it, and I know I'm babbling and I can't really explain anything else because I don't know what effect it'll have so I'm just going to shut up now…" She looked determinedly at the floor, but she could tell that Madeline was studying her intently. The gray-eyed woman turned away, clearly thinking hard.

Diana pulled a napkin and a pen toward her absentmindedly. She thought about what this would be like if it was a plotline in one of her stories; what would Madeline say. It was a nervous habit of hers, except this time, the scenario was more real than usual. She distractedly began writing, her sentences zigzagging all over the napkin. Tears pricked the back of her eyes, but she wouldn't cry here.

After what seemed like an eternity, Madeline turned back to her. "Diana," she said softly. "I'm not exactly sure what's going on with you. But I believe that everything happens for a reason. So there must be some deeper reason why you're here." She put a hand on Diana's shoulder. "I won't tell. But are you sure you've told me everything? I think I have the right to know." Diana's hazel eyes grew wide and she looked from the napkin to Madeline, then back to the napkin. Madeline had just said EXACTLY what was written on the napkin. Word-for-word. What the heck was happening? "Diana, are you alright? Is there something else I should know?" Madeline asked in a concerned voice.

Diana frowned. What was going on here? She pushed it out of her mind quickly, as Madeline was still looking at her inquisitively. What had she asked again? Did Diana tell her everything? Well, she obviously couldn't tell her EVERYTHING. Who knows what effect that could have on the Ace Attorney universe? "Everything that I can," she replied honestly.

Madeline tilted her head sideways, examining Diana. "I still feel like I know you, though. Quite well. Do you know anything about that?"

"No," Diana murmured. What was she supposed to say?

Madeline finally smiled again. "Alright, let's just forget it, I guess. So what should we do? I just bought the new season of Steel Samurai! Have you seen it yet?"

"Um, no, I've never seen the Steel Samurai." Diana waited for the outburst. She had instilled in Madeline a love of the Steel Samurai.

"What? Never?" Madeline shrieked. Her large gray eyes were wide. "Diana, I can't believe you!"

"It's, um, not very popular where I'm from," Diana said sheepishly. Truth was, it was virtually non-existant.

"Well, I'm going to educate you," Madeline said firmly, grabbing Diana's wrist and pulling her to the couch. "Sit down, we've got a long night ahead of us."

Diana watched her OC bustle around the living room, getting the movie set up. She could hardly believe this was happening. It felt like she had controlled Madeline, just for a second there. She tried to convince herself that it was just a fluke, but some nagging part in her mind wouldn't let it go. She grabbed the napkin and pen again; she needed to test this. She wrote an action-packed fist scene for the episode of the Steel Samurai that Madeline was fussing over, then folded the napkin in her hand as the other woman plopped down on the couch next to her.

"Ready?" Madeline asked excitedly. Diana nodded, squeezing the napkin between her fingers. Moment of truth. She watched as the scene on the television unfolded exactly like she had written it. Madeline looked over to see Diana with her mouth hanging open, but assumed it was because of the epicness of the Steel Samurai.

_So whatever I write here becomes real_, Diana thought. _What the heck?_

Diana didn't notice, but Madeline kept a careful eye on her for the rest of the night. She couldn't explain it, but she had the sense that something deeper was going on here. And if there was one thing working for a prosecutor had taught her, it was to always go with her gut.

* * *

The mood in the self-proclaimed GameCola headquarters was rather subdued. Even the many videogames surrounding them could not cheer them up. "What are we gonna do… Paul?" Nathaniel asked. He still had a little bit of trouble accepting that he was their fearless leader.

Paul made to rub his chin thoughtfully, but stopped abruptly as his fingers did not encounter a beard. "I don't know yet," he said quietly, frowning. "We need to figure out a way to get home."

"Well, how are we going to do that?" Christina asked from a sprawled position on the couch.

"And even if we do find a way to get home, we can't leave without Jeddy, Michael, and Diana," Matt said, leaning forward in his chair.

Right at that moment, a knock sounded at the door. "Maybe it's Larry. He hasn't come back yet," Nathaniel said, getting up and opening the door.

Michael stood outside, panting a little bit. "What is it with this place and no elevators?" he asked.

"Michael!" Nathaniel greeted him, opening the door wider to let him in. "What happened? Where did you go?"

"Where's Diana?" Christian asked.

"Did you hear about Jeddy?" Meteo called.

Michael stepped back a bit from the barrage of questions. "I'll explain in a minute, guys! And Diana's okay, she was with me, but she's staying somewhere else. And yes, I did hear about Jeddy…" His eyes fell on Paul. "Guys, who's this?" he whispered loudly.

Paul sighed. "Michael, it's me, Paul." He made a ta-da gesture with his hands, but Michael still looked confused.

"I know that case file said your beard was gone, but I couldn't believe it…" he said incredulously. "I mean, I didn't think it was possible."

"No one did," Paul said heavily. "But wait… you said case file?"

"Yeah, it's a long story…" Michael replied, and he filled the rest of the staff in on what had occurred that day, from meeting Edgeworth to getting assigned to the case. In return, everyone else shared their stories, but eventually, they all resumed talking about the case.

"So you'll be prosecuting Jeddy?" Christian asked. "That's a scary thought."

"I know," Michael said, frowning.

"But at least it means Jeddy'll have a better chance for a not guilty," Meteo said optimistically.

"I think I've been insulted," Michael replied, glaring at him.

"Hey, we want Jeddy to get a not guilty! So it's a good thing he's got an inexperienced prosecutor!" Meteo said defensively. Michael thought for a minute, then nodded in agreement.

"Point taken."

There was another knock on the door and everyone looked up in confusion. "Okay, who is it now?" Nathanial said impatiently, and when no one else got up, he groaned and answered the door. There was no one there. "Seriously? Who ding-dong ditches at a hotel?" he asked irritably, starting to close the door. Something white on the ground caught his eye. "What's this?" he asked curiously, picking it up and taking it inside.

The staff members had already moved on and were examining the videogames again. "It's like the Steel Samurai is the Mario here," Paul said, holding up a game entitles _Steel Samurai Golf._

"Alright, you're definitely Paul," Michael said, throwing down _Steel Samurai Party 3._ It depicted the Steel Samurai, Pink Princess, and Nickel Samurai running around a board with brightly colored spaces. "Only Paul pronounces Mario like that."

"Glad I was able to convince you," Paul replied dryly. He was still trying to get used to the lack of beard on his chin. Nathaniel re-entered the room, holding a white envelope in his hand.

"Hey guys, this was outside the door," he said. The guys all dropped their various videogames and gathered around. Nathaniel slit it open and pulled out a piece of paper with a few lines of typed words.

_**My dear test subjects,**_

"Isn't that what the text in the game called us before we got into this mess?" Matt asked suspiciously.

"Yes, now can I finish?" Nathaniel asked testily. Matt glared at him.

_**Now you're here in this world. Do you like it? You should know, though, that it'll be short-lived. The longer you stay here, the less stable this universe becomes.**_

"Yeah, that doesn't sound good," Meteo said matter-of-factly.

_**There is**__, __**however, one way to get home. Curious? Well, I won't tell you straight. That would ruin my plans. I will give you a hint, though. The girl's skills can give you a portal back to your own universe. The catch? You all have to be together for it to work. And I happen to know that one of you is in a position to be locked up for a long time. You may be wondering how I know so much, or rather, what I don't know. Answer: I know everything. So tread carefully. I'm always watching.**_

"Is that it?" Paul asked.

"That's slightly creepy," Matt said.

"So, Diana can somehow get us home?" Michael said thoughtfully. "But how?"

"Either way, you have to try to prosecute. Otherwise, who knows what this person'll do," Christian advised.

Nathaniel was still scanning the note. "And it might be a good idea to try to figure out who this person is."

* * *

The mysterious person exited the hotel through the revolving doors. Hopefully the little note had worried them a little. The person frowned, thinking about the next day and what was going to have to happen: a little manipulation of the most criminal kind. _But it was all for the greater good_, the person convinced themself. _All for the good of keeping the others here long enough for the universe to be destroyed and a new one created, one where he would be revered as a god._ The person touched the ancient piece of paper tucked in a bag. _Soon… Soon…_


	5. Two Rookies and an Investigation

**Hey guys,**

**Before you guys view this amazing chapter, I have a favor to ask. I entered Madeline in the fanfiction section of the OC Contest at Court Records. If you guys wouldn't mind going to vote for me, I would really appreciate it. I'm up against some pretty great OCs so I could use all the help I can get. Here is the link: All you have to do is scroll down to the bottom and vote for Madeline Nicole Brent, or you can read everyone else's submissions (I highly recommend this, they're very good). Voting closes on the 17th. Thank you very much for your help and here's the new chapter.**

**~Diana**

* * *

_The Ace Attorney crew thinks there's something a bit off about the GameColers..._

* * *

The next morning, Diana opened the door to the office. She was still in shock from last night's events. "Morning Micha-whoa." The entire staff sat inside the office, looking at her as she walked in. "Awkward. Morning, guys!"

"Hey Diana," Michael said. He was sitting at his desk, examining the case file. The other guys offered their own greetings. Diana grinned at the rest of the guys before her gaze stopped on Paul. She sidestepped over to the desk.

"Hey, Michael, who is that?" she murmured nervously. It came out louder than she had intended it to, and she clapped her hand over her mouth.

"Diana, it's me, Paul." Paul was getting tired of saying who he was over and over.

Her eyes grew wide and she stared at him. "Really? Oh, I'm sorry! You really don't look like yourself without your beard!" Paul waved a hand. He was used to it by now. "Okay, but seriously guys, last night, something really crazy happened."

"Yeah, we got this crazy note," Nathaniel said, pulling the note out of his pocket. It was now a little crumpled. Diana took it and read it slowly. She bit her lip as she handed it back.

"Who could be doing this?" she wondered aloud.

"It's not one of your characters gone rogue?" Matt asked curiously.

"Well, I don't think so. If it was… let's just say something a little more… direct would've happened by now." Diana turned away with a content smile while the staff exchanged nervous looks.

"So wait, what happened to you last night?" Christian asked. Diana turned back around, eyes glowing. She briefly filled them in on everything that had happened at Madeline's apartment.

"So let me get this straight," Meteo said, frowning. "You wrote something down… and then it happened."

"Yes," Diana replied. "Nathaniel, can I see that note again?" Nathanial handed it to her and she scanned it again.

"So you could just write us home right now?" Meteo asked hopefully.

"I wish," Diana replied, tapping a sentence in the note with her finger. "Apparently, we all have to be together for it to work." She frowned. "And that's not likely unless…" She trailed off and glanced at Michael. "We lose the case tomorrow."

"So, it's likely, then," Matt said. Diana and Michael glared at him. "What?" he muttered. "We all know what'll happen…"

"But we still need to figure out who did this!" Paul said desperately, cutting off an angry response from Diana. "I will not leave this place until this beard-murdering culprit is behind bars!"

Everyone stared at him for a second. "Wow, that was dramatic, Paul," Christian said, laughing.. Paul glared at him.

"Anyway…" Diana said, trying to regain control of the situation after Paul's outburst. "Michael and I need to go investigate the crime scene. I guess you guys should stay here or go… wherever you're staying…"

"We'll head back to the hotel," Nathaniel said, standing.

"Yeah, we never finished our game of _Steel Samurai vs. Capcom_!" Paul said, opening the door and following everyone out.

"They have that?" Diana called excitedly after him, sticking her head out of the office door. There was no reply. She pouted for a second, then turned back to Michael. "Hey, you ready?" she called.

"Yeah," he replied, coming up behind her. They exited the office and Michael locked the door. Then they turned toward where they thought the front door was.

"Let's go investigate a crime scene," Diana muttered, following Michael down the hallway.

* * *

Phoenix and Maya stood in front of the door that led to the apartment across the hallway – the crime scene. "What exactly are we looking for, Nick?" Maya asked quietly.

"I don't know, exactly," Phoenix replied. The interview with Jeddy yesterday hadn't been too revealing, but not because of Jeddy. The poor guy honestly didn't know what had happened.

"Let's go then," Maya said happily, opening the door and pushing her way inside. The room was surprisingly dark and empty. Only one person was inside, a very familiar person. "Hey Detective Gumshoe!" Maya greeted him, smiling.

"Hey, pal," Gumshoe said, turning around to look at the two of them. "Here to investigate?" Phoenix nodded, closing the door behind him. "Well, you know I won't stop you, pal."

"Thanks, Detective." As Phoenix and Maya began to look around, the door opened again. Phoenix looked over to see an unfamiliar man and woman enter. "Who're they?" he muttered to Detective Gumshoe.

"All I know is what Mr. Edgeworth told me," the detective replied, shrugging. "The guy is a new prosecutor, name's Michael Gray. The woman is his aide, Diana Gray. They'll be prosecuting the case."

"I thought Edgeworth was prosecuting," Phoenix said in confusion, frowning.

"Yeah, we all thought that, pal," Gumshoe responded, scratching his head. "I didn't even hear about the change until I got here this morning. But Prosecutor Edgeworth's been so loaded down lately, it's not surprising he handed the case to someone less experienced. It seems pretty straightforward."

"I can't agree on principle, Detective," Phoenix said, raising an eyebrow. Maya poked him from behind.

"Nick, they're looking at us," she whispered, gesturing to the pair by the door. They were whispering together. The woman looked shocked, eyes wide, while the man just looked speechless. "Do they know us?"

* * *

"You've gotta be kidding me," Diana muttered to Michael upon seeing the famous blue-suited attorney. "I mean, I kind of expected it, but really?"

"I know," Michael replied. "But hey, at least this means Jeddy's got a really good chance now."

Diana forced a smile. "You're right, of course. Now let's get going."

"Wait," Michael said, stopping her in her tracks. "Maybe we should introduce ourselves."

"To him?" Diana was ashamed that her voice came out a little high-pitched.

"Yeah," Michael said. Even he sounded a little bit nervous. He abruptly started walking toward the other end of the room where Phoenix stood talking to Detective Gumshoe. Diana blinked and quickly walked behind him. "You're Phoenix Wright?" Michael asked, trying to remain calm. Behind him, he could hear Diana hyperventilating quietly. He poked her and she cleared her throat, trying to recover some composure.

"Yeah…" Phoenix replied, looking at the pair curiously. He was obviously a little confused about why they were talking to him.

"I'm Michael Gray… prosecutor." The word still felt a little strange coming out of his mouth. "And this is-"

"Diana Gray, legal aide," Diana interrupted, extending a hand. Phoenix shook both hers and Michael's in turn. He still looked a bit confused.

"Well, I'm Phoenix Wright, attorney, but I guess you know that already. That's my assistant, Maya Fey." Maya looked up at the sound of her name and grinned.

"It's nice to meet you," Michael continued. "I've heard a lot about you." Diana let out a cough which sounded suspiciously like 'No kidding.' "I look forward to facing you in court," he continued as if nothing had happened.

"Likewise," Phoenix replied. Michael and Diana walked away, toward the door. "I don't know about those two," Phoenix muttered to Maya.

"I know," Maya agreed. "I'm getting this weird feeling about them."

"Maya, you're a spirit medium, not a psychic."

"I know, but still…" Maya brought a finger to her chin, thinking hard. "I feel like they know more than they're telling."

The room fell into silence as the two groups began to investigate. Occasionally one person would go over and ask the detective a question, then the room lapsed back into silence. The last question was asked by Phoenix. "What happened to the ladder? It was outside the door?"

"It's been taken to forensics, I s'pose," said Gumshoe, scratching his head. After that, there was quiet for about fifteen minutes. Diana broke the silence.

"Hey, hey Michael," she called, backing out from behind a couch, something clutched in her hand. "You might want to see this."

Michael made his way over to her. "What is it?" he asked, kneeling down next to her. She opened her palm to reveal a pen.

"Found this back there." She gestured back to the couch. He noticed she'd picked it up with an evidence bag.

"Good thinking," he said, pointing to the bag. She nodded, grinning, and handing it to him. He rolled it over inside the bag. "RK," he muttered.

"Uh, what?" Diana said, looking at him like he was crazy.

"On the pen," he replied, pointing. Diana squinted, looking closer. The letters Michael had just read were engraved in script letters on the gold surface.

"RK…" she repeated quietly, thinking.

"Any of your OCs?" Michael asked hopefully. That would make things so much easier.

Diana frowned. "Nope, none of my characters have the initials RK…" she replied slowly. "Hey, do you… think we should show them this?" She nodded toward the attorney and his assistant, who were frantically whispering in the other corner.

"We probably should. We want to give them every advantage, but we just can't let anyone else know it."

Diana took the pen from him. "Then let me do it," she whispered. "If anyone finds out about this, it'll be on my shoulders, not yours."

"Alright," Michael said, raising an eyebrow. She wrapped the pen in the bag and stood.

"Be right back." She walked over to Phoenix and Maya and hesitantly tapped the man on the shoulder. "Excuse me," she said quietly. The defense attorney turned around.

"Miss Gray?" he said, apparently a little confused. She shoved the pen into his hands.

"Take this," she muttered. The attorney and the spirit medium looked at the pen, safely enclosed in plastic, then back at Diana.

"You're giving us this?" Phoenix said, raising an eyebrow.

"We're not the kind of prosecutors you think we are, Mr. Wright," she said, half-smiling. "We look for the truth, not a personal victory."

They both continued staring at her for a second, then Maya spoke. "Thank you!" she said, clapping her hands together and giving Diana a slight bow. Diana nodded, then returned to Michael.

"Done," she said. "What else can we do?"

"I guess we should go back to the office and start planning our case," he replied. Diana nodded. "It's going to be tough. We need to make it easy for them to win, but we also have to look like we know what we're doing…"

"Hey pal, when do you want me to stop by your office?" Detective Gumshoe called from across the room. The pair looked at him.

"Uh, what?" Michael said in confusion.

"You know, pal. To go over case details, and my testimony for tomorrow morning and stuff like that."

"Oh, um, whenever," Michael mumbled. Diana nodded.

"Okay, pal, I'll see you two later then," Gumshoe replied, giving them a bit of a strange look.

"Let's go," Diana said. The two left the crime scene, leaving the three remaining people staring after them.

"Something's not quite right about them…" Phoenix muttered.

"Oh, so when you say it, it's okay?" Maya said indignantly.

"Let's just keep looking," Phoenix said, rolling his eyes.

Madeline slipped into the office she shared with her boss. He was out at a meeting for another case, so she'd come back to the office and do some work and think about last night. There was something off about Diana Gray. She frowned and tapped her desk with a pen. She just couldn't put her finger on it.

The door creaked open. "Miles? Miles, is that you?" she called, not turning around. There was silence. She tilted her head in confusion, turning around. "Oh, it's you," she said, blinking in surprise. "Can I help you with something?"

The person drew closer, holding out a piece of cloth. Madeline could smell something sweet coming from it. "Wh-what are you doing?" she said nervously, backing up in her chair until it hit her desk. But by then it was too late. One hand grabbed the back of her head, the other held the cloth over her nose and mouth. She tried to scream, flailing and kicking against the strong hands that held her in her chair. But eventually, her movement ceased and her vision gradually faded into black. The last thing she saw was the person looming over her, and saying something.

_"Neither you nor your boss will interfere with my plans. You are my incentive."_


	6. Trial by Fire

**Hey guys! Diana is on vacation, so what's up, East Coast! (Rain. That's what's up.) Didn't think I was going to get a chapter done for this week, but I underestimated just how productive I can be on a 6 hour plane flight. No time for a long author's note, I have to get ready. Wedding to go to! :) Talk to you guys later.**

**~Diana**

**P.S. Oh yeah, and if you have any guesses as to who the mysterious person is, I really want to hear them, since they'll be revealed in the next chapter or two. I'll announce if anyone got it right in the author's note before the chapter. Thanks guys!**

* * *

_Michael Gray and Diana go to trial against Phoenix Wright!_

* * *

Michael anxiously paced around the Prosecutor's Lobby. Diana fidgeted nervously on the small couch, her fingers drumming on her knees, eyes flicking back and forth between Michael and the door to the courtroom. It was obvious that both of them were on edge. "How are we going to do this?" Diana said suddenly, breaking the silence abruptly.

"We don't have to," Michael replied, clasping his hands behind his back and continuing to pace. "We want Jeddy to get an acquittal."

"I know that," Diana said indignantly. "I just… I can't shake the feeling that something bad is happening because of this case." Michael paused and gave her a confused look. "I know, it sounds crazy, but given everything that's happened so far…" She trailed off, a faraway look in her eyes.

"Have you tried writing anything about this?" he asked.

She was nodding even before he finished. "I've tried already," she muttered. "But it's like there's a block when it comes to myself or any of you guys. I can't change the story this person is creating. The second it's all over, I'll try to write us home, but I don't think I can do anything to help us until then."

Michael sighed. "Okay," he said.

The door leading to the outside hallway opened and another figure stepped in. "Are you two ready?" Miles Edgeworth asked. Diana stood up and moved just behind Michael.

"Hopefully," Michael said. "Our first witness is Detective Gumshoe…"

"Just don't let him bumble around too much on the stand. He tends to get off-topic easily," Edgeworth told them firmly.

"Okay," Michael replied, making a mental note, despite not really having to. He'd played the game enough to know that Gumshoe was not the most trustworthy witness.

"What are you doing here?" Diana asked curiously.

Edgeworth checked his watch. "I have a trial. It starts in an hour."

"And where's Madeline?" Diana continued, looking around as if she expected her OC to pop out of nowhere.

"She's supposed to be meeting me in the lobby in a few minutes. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised she didn't come to see you two." He frowned and excused himself, wishing them luck one more time.

The door opened and the bailiff stepped into the lobby. "The trial is beginning. Please enter the courtroom."

Michael took a deep breath and turned to look for Diana. She was hastily scrawling on a single piece of paper. She flipped it over and he could see that the front was already packed with tiny handwriting. "What are you doing?" he asked.

She looked up. "Something to ensure that the trial goes in our favor," she replied, gesturing for him to go inside. "I can't do anything about us, but everyone else…" She paused and sighed. "I can at least try, right? It's not done yet though, so just… take it slow, okay?"

* * *

The bailiff led Jeddy into the courtroom and he took a seat behind Phoenix. Maya turned around and gave him a thumbs up. Jeddy gave her a weak smile in return. He craned his head to look at the evidence on the desk in front of Phoenix. It was practically empty, holding only the autopsy report, the razor, a few other miscellaneous papers, and squarely in the center, a pen, wrapped in an evidence bag. Phoenix had come by the detention center late last night and showed it to him, asking if Jeddy had ever seen it before. He'd shaken his head, and the questioning session had been over.

Michael and Diana took their places at the prosecution bench. Diana was still frantically scribbling, while Michael glanced around the courtroom. People were talking in the gallery and across the courtroom, Phoenix and Maya were whispering to each other. Something caught his eye above their heads: people moving, trying to find seats. It was the rest of the staff, settling into places in the crowd. They waved at the pair before poking Jeddy in the back, then pretending like they hadn't done it.

The crowd fell silent as the judge took his place at his bench and Michael was impressed. The judge's beard was even more fantastic in person. He glanced over at Paul. He was rubbing his chin and frowning at the judge. Diana noticed and smirked.

"You men and your beards…" she muttered, raising an eyebrow at him before continuing to write.

"Court is now in session for the trial of Alex Jede-… er, Jeda-"

"Jeddy," called the defendant helpfully from his seat.

"Ah, alright, Jeddy." The judge leaned forward. "Are both sides ready?"

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Phoenix said.

"The, er, prosecution is ready," Michael replied, looking at the judge and trying not to be intimidated by the fantastic beard.

"Mr. Gray, this is your first time in court, correct?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Well, it'll be a trial by fire. We take beard murders VERY seriously around here, Mr… Jeddy," the judge said sternly, glaring at Jeddy.

"Why does he always look at my clients like they're automatically guilty?" Phoenix muttered to Maya, frowning. Out loud, he continued with, "Your Honor, my client hasn't been formally charged of anything."

"Oh, yes, yes, of course," the judge spluttered, tearing his eyes away from the man in the defendant's chair. "Prosecutor Gray, if you would summarize the case for the court, please."

"Oh, okay," Michael said, a little nervous. He looked toward Diana, but she gave him a look that told him he was on his own and resumed writing. "Well, from what we've gathered, the victim and the defendant were in a room together. While the victim was unconscious, the defendant shaved off his beard using the razor that was found on his person, then tried to escape as the victim woke up and confronted him. As he tried to leave the room, he tripped over a ladder and knocked himself out, which is where he was found when the police arrived." Diana nodded approvingly.

"I see…" the judge said thoughtfully. "Does the defense have anything to say?"

"The defense maintains that the defendant is innocent of all charges, and would also like to add that it was a stepladder, not a ladder."

"Hey Nick," Maya whispered, "didn't I say that at the crime scene?" Phoenix wisely chose to ignore her for the time being.

"The court takes this into account, although I fail to see what importance the type of ladder has on the case." Phoenix scratched his head, smiling awkwardly. "The prosecution may call its first witness."

"I'd like to call the detective in charge of the scene to the stand." He vaguely remembered Edgeworth saying something like that.

The bailiff escorted the detective to the witness stand, where he was sworn in. "Witness, name and occupation, please," Michael said.

"Dick Gumshoe, pal. I'm a detective in charge of homicides down at the local precinct." Michael was a little miffed that Gumshoe didn't call him 'sir'. Apparently he didn't command as much respect as Miles Edgeworth.

"Detective, can you testify about the facts on the case, as you see them?"

"Sure, pal."

**Witness Testimony**

**-Facts of the Case—**

"**Well pal, the case is pretty much exactly as you said."**

"**The defendant was the only one found on the scene."**

"**What's more, his fingerprints were found all over the murder weapon."**

"**I don't think any more evidence is needed, do you, pal?"**

Michael was surprised to hear such a solid testimony from Gumshoe; usually there were glaring errors. Diana caught his eye and shoved a piece of paper toward him. He glanced down to see the exact same testimony written on it. "Now we'll let him do his thing," she said, nodding at Phoenix.

"You're not going to-"

"Where's the fun in that?" she interrupted, laughing quietly as the cross-examination began.

The blue-suited attorney didn't say anything until the last statement (Diana and the staff were amused to learn that cross-examinations worked the way they did in the games: the witness repeated the testimony word-for-word until stopped). "**Hold it!**" Phoenix yelled, startling everyone. "Do you have proof that my client wasn't framed?"

"**Objection!**" Michael yelled almost without thinking. "Do you have proof that he was framed, Mr. Wright?"

"As a matter of fact, I do!" Phoenix replied, still at the same volume.

"Oh yeah? Well, let's see it!" Michael challenged. Maya and Diana exchanged a look, both clearly trying not to laugh.

"**Take that!**" Phoenix held up the pen. "Jeddy clearly stated that he has never seen this before, right?" He looked up at the defendant for confirmation. Jeddy shook his head. "This pen links a third person to the scene!" Phoenix slammed his hands in his desk. "The defense claims that this person took advantage of the situation, murdering Mr. Franzen's beard and framing my client."

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

Madeline came to in a dark room. A shadowy figure was circling around her. "You might as well just turn the lights on," she said calmly. "I already know who you are." As the person disappeared, she casually tried to move and discovered that her wrists and ankles were bound. She rolled her eyes as the lights flickered to life. "Why did you do this?" Madeline asked. "What could you possibly gain from kidnapping me?"

"I need a guilty verdict in the beard murdering case. That is the condition for your safe return. I will send a note to Mr. Edgeworth shortly."

"Wh-what?" Madeline said in confusion. "We re-assigned that case! To the new prosecutor!" The person looked fazed for a second, frowning, then paused. A sinister smile spread over the person's face.

"Hmm… actually, this almost works out better."

"So you'll let me go?" Madeline asked hopefully, but she knew the answer.

"No." Then there was darkness.

* * *

_Meanwhile (again)…_

"Court is now in session." The judge's brother smoothed his not-quite-as-glorious beard and looked out over the courtroom. "Are both sides prepared?"

"The defense is ready, Your Honor." Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. He'd never seen this man before, but that wasn't entirely uncommon in this line of work. Something was bothering him quite a bit more, however. Madeline still hadn't made an appearance or checked in with him. He frowned, but tried to push it out of his mind.

"The prosecution… was born ready." Edgeworth smirked. Might as well scare the new attorney a little bit.

"Well, in that case, it seems that we are ready to begin, eh?" the judge's brother said, frowning. '_Why is it that my brother always gets the exciting beard murder cases, while I'm stuck with the boring old regular murder cases?_'he wondered. '_It must be because my beard isn't fabulous enough!_' he decided suddenly, stroking said beard. '_I really need to-_' His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed that everyone was staring at him, waiting for him to continue with the trial. "Ah, yes, er, Prosecutor Edgeworth, please give us the facts of the case." He stared at Edgeworth for a second longer than necessary. Hadn't he seen this man on the other side of the courtroom…?

"Thank you, Your Honor," Edgeworth said quickly. "Yesterday evening-"

He was interrupted as a policeman opened the door to the courtroom. "What is this?" the judge's brother asked, gazing sternly at the officer in question.

"I'm very sorry, Your Honor sir, but I've been instructed to give this to Prosecutor Edgeworth." He held up an envelope, looking nervous.

"Well, get on with it, then. We don't have all day, eh?" the judge's brother said impatiently. The policeman extended a shaking hand to Edgeworth, who snatched the envelope out of his hand. He slit it open and his gray eyes scanned the contents. His face changed and he fixed the officer in a chilly glare.

"Who gave you this?" he choked out, banging his hand on his desk.

"I, er, I don't know, sir," the poor policeman stuttered. "I found it on my desk when I reported for duty, sir, with instructions to give it to you."

Edgeworth took a deep breath. "Your Honor, I know this is highly irregular, but I need you to put this trial on hold."

"Mr. Edgeworth, I-" But it was too late. The burgundy-suited prosecutor had already hurried out of the courtroom, doors swinging behind him.

* * *

"Can you prove-" Michael's clearly well-thought out statement was cut short as the doors were thrown open and Miles Edgeworth stormed into the courtroom. Everyone was shocked, but no one more so than Diana as the clearly angry prosecutor stopped in front of her and slammed a piece of paper down onto the desk in front of her. "Miss Gray, what is the meaning of this?" he asked furiously. Diana picked up the note with trembling fingers. Michael read over her shoulder.

_Mr. Edgeworth,_

_ I'm sure you've noticed by now that your assistant is missing. Don't worry, it shouldn't be too hard to track her down. Just ask Miss Gray and her friends._

_~R.K_

"Madeline's missing?" Diana breathed, feeling faint. Miles Edgeworth's furious face swam back into focus in front of her. "No… no… Mr. Edgeworth, you've got to believe me, I don't have anything to do with this."

"Your Honor," Phoenix said abruptly from the other side of the courtroom. Everyone looked at him as though they'd forgotten he was there. "I think we need a recess."

"Yes, yes, certainly." The judge banged his gavel. "We will now have a ten minute recess so the prosecution can… er…" He wisely chose to abandon speaking and the gavel banged once more.


	7. Technicalities

**A/N: Hey guys! First of all, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who voted. Madeline won second place in the OC Competition on Court Records. It really means a lot to me. Also, this story is starting to wrap up :( So there's a poll on my profile, I'd really appreciate it if y'all would go vote and help me decide what to get started on. Thank you and enjoy the chapter! Don't forget to review!**

**~Diana**

* * *

_The GameColers and the Phoenix Wright crew hunt down Madeline's kidnapper…_

* * *

Michael and Diana were sitting uncomfortably in the Prosecutor's Lobby. They were both getting a sense of déjà vu, but now they were nervous for a totally different reason. Edgeworth and Phoenix had been called to the judge's chambers. "Why didn't they want to talk to us?" Diana whispered nervously. Michael shrugged.

The door opened and both of them jumped to their feet, but it was only the rest of the staff, who immediately began bombarding them with questions. Unfortunately, Michael and Diana couldn't answer any of those questions, so everyone eventually stopped talking and just kind of stood there in silence. "So, what now?" Paul asked abruptly.

"Well, we have a decision to make," Diana said, wringing her hands nervously. "How much are we going to tell them?"

"I don't see why we have to tell them anything at all," Matt replied.

"Let's be realistic here," Diana said, raising an eyebrow. "They're not idiots. They're going to figure out that something's up. It's only a matter of time-"

She was interrupted as the door opened and Jeddy entered the lobby. There was shocked silence for a second, then the entire staff converged around him. Their questions changed to 'How are you?' and 'What's prison food like?' Before he could answer, Edgeworth stormed in, followed discreetly by Phoenix and Maya. Diana snuck over to them.

"Is he…?" she asked, pointing at Jeddy.

"He's been let out temporarily, given the… circumstances," Phoenix replied. Diana nodded, frowning slightly.

"Miss Gray," Edgeworth said, then cast a glance around the room. "And friends. According to this, you're hiding something." He held up the note, raising an eyebrow. "Care to explain?" As the staff huddled, trying to figure out what to say, Diana squeezed behind Edgeworth, gently removing the note from his hand and sliding back out of sight. She pulled out a pen and began to write. "Well?" Edgeworth said impatiently. The GameColers turned around uneasily and all began to speak at once.

"Well…" Paul started.

"We…" Michael said slowly.

"It's kind of…" Jeddy muttered.

"Long story…" Nathaniel said uncertainly.

"You see…" Matt murmured.

"We need to…" Meteo began.

"You know…" Christian said sheepishly.

Everyone stopped talking and looked around awkwardly. "Hey guys, what's that?" Diana said abruptly, pointing to a piece of white paper that was sticking out from underneath the door. As Edgeworth, Phoenix, Maya, and the staff turned to look, Michael noticed her slip a piece of paper into her pocket. He pushed past everyone crowding around the door, seemingly afraid to pick the note up. He grabbed it and unfolded it, quickly reading the words on it. He gave Diana a confused look.

"The location of Madeline Brent," he read aloud. There was a muffled curse from Diana as she pulled the paper out of her pocket and re-read what she had written.

_As the GameCola staff stumbled awkwardly over what to tell the canon characters, a note was carefully pushed underneath the door. It had the location of Madeline Brent written in a scrawled hand._

Diana sighed. Apparently there were technicalities. She quickly wrote a few more words, aware of Edgeworth's eyes on her. She nodded to Michael. He looked down to see that more writing had appeared on the note he was holding.

"Is… Gatewater Land?" he read, giving Diana another strange look. She glared back at him, mouthing 'Just go with it.'

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Maya said determinedly. "Let's go find her!" She ran out of the lobby, followed by Phoenix. Edgeworth glared once more at the staff.

"This isn't over. Madeline's safety is my priority, but I will discover what you're hiding, all of you." He gestured for them to leave the room before him. They all filed out, all not noticing the white scrap that had slipped from the author's grasp. Edgeworth picked it up and he scanned the words on the back. He frowned in confusion and slipped the note into his pocket. Something definitely was not right.

* * *

"Gatewater Land? Really?" Michael hissed to Diana. They were walking over the bridge toward the main gate. She frowned at him.

"First place I thought of," she replied, biting her lip. "On another topic, have you noticed that he's staring at me even more now?" He discreetly looked over to Edgeworth, who, sure enough, was staring at them.

"Weird." The group arrived at the gate. The sleepy attendant looked at the large group with something that looked like dismay.

"So, that'll be ten adults and one child," he said. Everyone looked around to see who the child was, finally coming to rest on Diana.

"Guys, I'm not that young," she said indignantly.

"We don't have time for this," Edgeworth muttered impatiently, pushing past the gate. Everyone exchanged worried glances, then quickly followed him. "I called Detective Gumshoe on the way over here," Edgeworth called back to no one in particular. "The police should be here, but we need to find her, now." The staff looked toward Diana. She stuck a hand in her pocket, but came up empty.

"I can't," she whispered. "The paper's gone."

"Where is it?" Paul asked.

"I don't know," Diana replied worriedly.

"Where are we going, Edgeworth?" Phoenix asked, jogging at the back of the pack.

"I'm personally going to scour every inch of this park until we find her," Edgeworth growled. "And all of you are going to help." His voice held steely determination that made everyone quail a little bit.

"Mr. Edgeworth, sir!" came a voice, followed by heavy panting. "Wait up!" Everyone turned around to see an out-of-breath Gumshoe running towards them. He was holding a familiar orange-jacketed figure by the scruff of the neck.

"Larry," everyone groaned in unison as the detective reached them.

"Found him wandering around the premises, sir," Gumshoe reported, saluting.

"Come on, Edgey, Nick, you guys know I work here!" Larry whined, twisting in the detective's grip.

"You do?" Maya asked.

"Yeah, I'm one of the Badger family! I switch every day. Then I heard from the security guards that my baby Madi is here inside the park, and she's in trouble!"

"Larry, now is not the time," Phoenix protested weakly.

"No, Nick, this is important!" Larry cried desperately. "When I was getting changed, I heard someone in the underground tunnel between the two rooms. But no one's supposed to be down there, so I tried to open the door, but it wouldn't open!"

Edgeworth was already running toward the Wild, Wild West. Everyone hurried after him, still a little uncertain.

* * *

Edgeworth threw open the door of the Isolation Room and knelt down, fingers frantically running over the floor until he found the handle and yanked. The trapdoor opened just as the rest of the staff, Phoenix, Maya, Gumshoe, and Larry crammed into the room after him. He found the ladder and hurried down, followed closely by Gumshoe, Diana, and the GC crew. Larry, Maya, and Phoenix took one look at the dark, cramped-looking space and decided to stay up top.

A light flickered on in the corner of the small room, illuminating the silhouettes of two people. One was tied to a chair, her gray eyes glowing in the dim glow. "Madeline," Edgeworth breathed. The other person held the light up higher, throwing their face into even deeper shadow. "Who are you?" Edgeworth yelled.

"You made it all the way here, did you, test subjects?" The voice was not what they expected at all, and as the person slowly lowered the light, revealing their face, everyone's jaw dropped.

"You?!" Diana cried. "You're RK?!"


	8. Truth Revealed

**A/N: Hey guys, what's up? Not much with me, just recorded a Law and Order Episode 2 playthrough with Michael yesterday, no big deal. :D I'll let you guys know when it's posted.**

**Housekeeping: Please do the poll if you have not, and check out my other stuff. Ok, done.**

**And now, the moment you've all been waiting for, the culprit revealed. **

**Kisses!**

**~Diana**

* * *

_The beard murderer finally comes forward..._

* * *

"I don't believe it," Paul said incredulously. "I mean, I've made a lot of guesses, but I never expected-"

The dim light reflected off the person's glasses. "Believe it," he replied calmly. "Although it's not surprising that you didn't guess me. I'm often overlooked."

"But really?!" Michael cut in, taking a step forward. "You did all of this? You're RK?"

The man laughed harshly. "Yes, Mr. Gray, I brought you here, I manipulated all of this, and Mr. Franzen, I, Winston Payne, murdered your glorious beard!" Muffled gasps echoed around the walls and Paul's face fell in anger and sadness. "I am RK, the Rookie Killer!" Diana groaned quietly, muttering that she should have figured that out.

"So you framed me?" Jeddy asked indignantly, ignoring Diana's outburst. "Why would you do that?"

"All will be revealed in time," Payne replied calmly. His voice was a scary combination of menacing and the comically funny squeaky voice from his objection sound effect. "And we have plenty of time. None of you are leaving here."

"Give me Madeline," Edgeworth growled, glaring at the man in the corner. "And then you will explain everything." His voice was icy cold and dangerous.

Payne gave the tied-up Madeline an appraising look. "That's the only think I regret, you know, Prosecutor Edgeworth," he said nonchalantly as he leaned down to untie her bonds. "The only reason I took her was because I thought you were prosecuting the trial. I was surprised when Miss Brent told me otherwise." He forced her to stand and shoved her toward Edgeworth, who caught her as she stumbled toward him. She still looked a little disoriented.

"Okay, now tell us what's happening," Diana said firmly.

"You should know better than anyone, Miss Gray. This is your world, after all," Payne said, sitting down in the chair previously occupied by Madeline and trying to look cool, but only succeeding in looking slightly nervous. He was cornered, after all, and he clearly hadn't counted on Edgeworth, Gumshoe, Maya, Phoenix, or Larry being there.

"No, it isn't!" Diana breathed, looking nervously at the canon characters in the room. "Not anymore, not since you've taken over! How did you even bring us here? Why are you doing this? What do you want?" Her voice was growing more and more desperate until she finally forced herself to stop and take some deep breaths.

Payne looked up abruptly. "Maya Fey," he said quietly.

"Excuse me?" Edgeworth said irritably. It was obvious that he wanted answers, and he wanted them now.

"Maya Fey," Payne repeated, looking around. "She's here, correct?" Everyone looked at each other in confusion. What did Maya have to do with any of this? She's barely even been in this story!

"Yeah, I'm here," Maya called. "What do you want, Payne?" She hesitantly climbed down the ladder and the staff parted to let her through.

"This is yours, isn't it?" he said, holding out a piece of yellowing paper.

"Yeah!" Maya said, making to snatch it, but Payne quickly moved it out of her reach. "Hey, give it back! The Elders have been bugging me about it!"

"I need it," Payne said firmly. "It's the key."

"The key? You mean you actually believe-." Maya began.

"This universe is unstable," Payne read aloud. "There are people from another place, a place where this universe is just a game. Bring them here and keep them for two days, and the world is sure to crumble, because their very existence defies the laws of our reality. When this universe falls, it will be your destiny to create a new one, one of your choosing." He looked up at the shocked and disgusted faces around him.

"Uh, what?" Larry's voice floated down into the small room. "Who are these people?"

Edgeworth was beginning to understand. He turned to face the staff, who paled at his glare. "Is this true? Are we just a game to you?" he muttered, his words like ice. No one seemed to be able to respond. "I assume this is the big secret," he continued, beginning to pace around the tiny room, everyone scurrying out of his way when he came close to them. "And now apparently the world is going to end, all because of you!" His outstretched finger pointed directly at Diana, whose mouth fell open in shock.

"Hey, it's not all my fault!" she cried.

"Then tell us the truth, now," Edgeworth demanded, crossing his arms. Gumshoe and Madeline stood just behind him, and Maya quickly disappeared up the ladder to fill in Phoenix and Larry. Payne still sat in the corner, a smirk on his face.

"He's telling the truth," she said slowly. "We come from a- a…"

"A different universe," Michael continued. "One where you are just characters in a video game."

The entire staff began to chime in, recapping all the events that had occurred thus far: their mysterious arrival, the notes. Diana took over when it seemed that the story could go no further without an explanation of her abilities.

"What Payne said earlier, about this being my world…" She trailed off at Edgeworth's glare, then took a breath and continued. "He's not entirely wrong. I can… control things that happen here. I'm a writer, I write and it happens. I don't know why, or how, or anything like that, but it just does."

"Then I suppose that explains this," Edgeworth said, holding up the missing paper.

"You had it!" exclaimed Paul.

"I was just trying to help," Diana said nervously, seeing Edgeworth's face.

"That's how you knew so much about everyone, everything," Madeline said quietly. Everyone jumped; they'd kind of forgotten she was there.

"Yeah, I guess so," Diana murmured, her eyes still on her OC. "But you, you're different." Her voice broke. "You're me. I created you."

"What?" Madeline whispered, moving slightly closer to Edgeworth.

"Haven't you noticed how alike we are?" Diana said quietly. "And how I knew things about you before you told me, things that you haven't told anyone else?" She sniffed. "I know it's hard to believe, but it's all true. And all we want is to get back home."

"Well, we're all together," Nathaniel said, looking around. "Can't we go home now?"

"Wait, hold on," Paul interrupted, holding up a hand and turning toward Payne. "You never said why you murdered my beard! That is something I need to know!"

"Simple," Payne replied calmly. "Jealousy."

"What?" Paul said in confusion.

"You may not know this, but I used to have hair, Mr. Franzen. But one case, years ago, and all that was gone." His face twisted in anger and despair. "Along with my good name. And that's why I brought you all here. Revenge. And it'll only be a matter of time before this world is only a distant memory."

Seemingly right on cue, the entire room shook. Everyone let out cries of shock and fear, grabbing onto each other, except for Payne, who stood up, smiling. "It's beginning," he said, his gaze flicking over the members of the staff. "And your 48 hours are almost up."


	9. A Way Home

**A/N: Hey guys! So, I'm REALLY proud of myself for finishing this chapter. I started school last week, and my course load is a little... how should I put it... ambitious. And I didn't get creative writing, so updates may be slightly slower because I don't have time to write in school, although I do anyway. But that's really enough rambling. We're nearing the end... Sadness. We probably will see another GameCola fic, though, just letting you guys know. Ok, I was going to stop rambling. Don't forget to review, see you guys around. :)**

**~Diana**

* * *

_Someone has to get left behind..._

* * *

A general freaking out began amongst the staff as the room continued to shake. There were startled cries from above and Maya, Phoenix, and Larry half-jumped, half-fell down the ladder. "Hey!" Meteo yelled: they'd practically landed on top of him. "What the heck?"

"Sorry," Phoenix said quickly, disentangling himself and standing up. "But you might want to look up there." Everyone tripped over each other in an effort to look out the opening in the ceiling. Horrified gasps filled the air; what had once been a room above was now just a blank white space. Christian hesitantly reached a hand up to touch the space, but his fingers hit nothing but air.

Diana hurried toward Payne, snatching the paper from his hand. He let out an indignant squeak as she scanned the cramped handwriting. "This is interesting," she murmured. Madeline frowned, then, giving in to her curiosity, she moved behind the authoress to read over her shoulder. "Look at this," Diana said, tapping a passage with her finger. "This paper explains everything, even how to get us here. Something about using the moon and a DS. It's kind of confusing. I obviously didn't write this."

"Speaking of writing," Matt said. "We're all together now, aren't we?" The staff looked around, mentally counting each other.

"Yeah, we're all here," Jeddy replied.

"Oh, yeah, I can write us home! That would probably be a good idea," Diana said quickly.

"Yes, it would," Edgeworth agreed, frowning. The author made a face at him, then tried to focus.

Diana searched her pockets, but finding no paper, she reluctantly spread out the old paper on the table in front of her. Sighing, she spared another glance at the plain white square in front of her. Diana allowed herself to be wrapped up in the philosophical thought that always struck her whenever she started a new project: a new beginning, endless possibilities. But now was hardly the time to be thinking about that, she thought in irritation. Not when so much depended on her right now. She stuffed her hands in her pockets again, but Edgeworth shoved a pen at her, looking annoyed. She hid a smirk and bent down over the paper.

"Let's just keep this simple," she muttered to herself, tapping her pen against her chin, a habit she'd developed when she was thinking.

_The GameCola staff and the author suddenly appeared back in their own place and time._

_There_, she thought with satisfaction. _Can't be simpler than that._ Then she realized that nothing was happening.

Diana wrote the same thing again. Still nothing. She changed word order and style, growing more and more desperate. But their bleak surroundings didn't change. "I'm sorry, guys," she whispered. "It's not working."

"What do you mean, 'not working'?!" Nathaniel said incredulously. Diana held the paper out. Jeddy took it from her and everyone gathered around it, reading the many scribbled words on the back.

"Well, what do we do?" Meteo asked, frowning.

"We need to figure out why Diana's writing isn't working," Madeline said suddenly. Her eyes flicked over to Payne, and Edgeworth caught her eye. He nodded and walked over to the villain.

"Payne, what do you know that we don't?" the prosecutor said coldly, glaring at the man in the chair.

Payne squirmed uncomfortably for a moment, then he began to smirk. "It's almost over, Mr. Edgeworth. Just a few more minutes. Maybe you should spend them with your girlfriend. I'm sure that's what the young author over there would want."

"Hey! Don't drag me into this!" Diana called indignantly from the other end of the room. She had taken the paper back and was studying it, trying to figure out what she'd done wrong. Madeline was looking over her shoulder, frowning. The staff members were grouped together uncomfortably, unable to do anything except wait.

"What's going to happen, Nick?" Maya said quietly. She, Larry, and Phoenix were standing in the corner, uncomfortable witnesses to everything that had been going on.

"I don't know, Maya," the attorney replied, looking worried.

Edgeworth looked around the room at all that was happening, then took another step toward Payne, growing even more threatening. "Tell us, now."

Payne shrunk back. "Her writing doesn't work because she's not leaving something in this universe."

Edgeworth leaned in. "Explain," he growled.

"It's very simple, Prosecutor Edgeworth. If the young author here wishes to send herself and her friends home, something, or rather, someone, must stay here."

There was pure silence for a second. Everyone was trying to process the meaning of this statement. Finally, Diana spoke. "Michael, take this." She handed him the paper. "Read it," she prompted him, smiling. But there was something in her face that wasn't right. Michael looked down and started to read, but Diana stopped him, a hand over the words. "Aloud," she said. He nodded.

_As Diana watched, the GameCola staff disappeared from sight, reappearing in the hotel room where they had been what seemed like a lifetime ago._

They all looked up at her in shock. She smiled, but she had tears in her eyes. "Bye guys," she whispered. Then their vision faded to white, then black.

As the staff disappeared, Diana collapsed into another chair, tears spilling down her cheeks. She knew she'd never be able to get home now. Madeline put a hand on her shoulder, patting it. Diana wrapped her arms around her OC and Madeline stroked her hair as the author cried softly. "It'll be fine," Madeline murmured. "We'll find a way to get you home."

"I don't think I can, Madi," Diana whispered between sniffles. "I don't think I can."

* * *

The GameColers came to in their hotel room. They all were a little groggy, but immediately sat up, remembering what had happened. The first think they noticed was Diana's pink DS, still open and powered on, sitting on the table. They all crowded around it, looking down.

"Do you guys see that?" Christian said. The game looked like Ace Attorney Investigations, with the zoomed out view of the scene. The people were all in the same positions as when the staff had left, but there was a new figure, the one Christian was pointing at. A brunette was hunched over in a chair, being comforted by what was undoubtedly Madeline.

"She's still there," Michael said quietly.

"But what can we do?" Paul asked, looking around at the staff. Their blank faces were the only answers he got.


	10. The End and the Beginning

**A/N: Hey guys! So this concludes Turnabout Cola, but first I have a surprise. It may make the author's note look a bit long, but I wanted to share.**

**DIANA'S LIST OF THINGS ABOUT HERSELF THAT WERE ACTUALLY TRUE IN THIS STORY IN THE ORDER THAT THEY APPEARED**

**Chapter 1**

**I did do awesome on the trivia during their 10 hour podcast, just ask them. ****I am brunette with hazel eyes. ****I own a pink DS. ****My technology really is tempermental. Every piece of technology I own is broken, except for the laptop I just got for school.**

**Chapter 2**

**I probably would do that if I met Edgeworth and Madeline. Right before I pass out, which I decided not to include, although I had originally written it.**

**Chapter 3**

**My ringtone actually is the Steel Samurai theme.**

**Chapter 4**

**I get scared easily, but then try to deny it. I would feel very uncomfortable if I was put with Edgeworth and Madeline in a car. I love rice. I have younger sisters, three of them, which provide inspiration for Ivy, Ruby, and Mel, respectively. I do want to be a prosecutor. If I'm excited or nervous, I tend to talk too much. **

**Chapter 5**

**I tend to overuse the word awkward. I would feel really nervous to talk to Phoenix and Maya (I mean, I was nervous to talk to a Phoenix cosplayer at AM2. The real deal? Uh-uh). **

**Chapter 6**

**I would think all I could do to help is write. I would definitely freak out if Edgeworth confronted me like that.**

**Chapter 7**

**The being mistaken for a child actually happened to me, probably the day before I wrote that chapter. It irritated me. I lose things constantly.**

**Chapter 8**

**I hyperventilate when placed in stressful situations. Madeline is based on me, roughly. **

**Chapter 9**

** I do tap my pen against my chin when I think. I would sacrifice myself to save my friends. **

**Chapter 10**

**That is actually what my notebook looks like.**

**Well, that's about it. I'm sure I'm forgetting things, but in conclusion, hope you guys enjoyed this crazy ride. Be back soon with more Days of an Ace Attorney!**

**~Diana**

* * *

For you (yes, you): go to youtube and add: watch?v=640aWzl0x3A&feature=g-upl

_Author's Note (#2): This chapter is subject to change for the sequel to this story. I have a few ideas already._

* * *

_There's still a chance..._

* * *

The GameCola staff watched as Gumshoe, who everyone had forgotten was there, pulled handcuffs out of his large coat pocket and snapped them around Payne's wrists. A text box popped up and words formed, letter by letter, with that familiar beeping sound as always. "You're under arrest, pal." The detective began to pat down the other man. "Best to be safe, pal," he said to no one in particular. "Ho hoh, what's this?" He searched Payne's coat pocket, eventually pulling out a rectangular silver object.

"Detective." A new name appeared above the text box. Diana. "Can I see that?" she asked. Gumshoe nodded and handed it to her. She examined it, turning it over and over in her hands, smirking. A DS. She opened it and her face lit up in a true smile. She could see a view of the hotel room ceiling on the top screen, and the faces of the GameCola staff on the bottom. "Hi guys!" she said, even though she was pretty sure they couldn't hear her.

Diana's face appeared on the top screen and surprisingly enough, her voice emanated from the speakers of the pink DS. "Are you okay?" Paul asked instinctively. His voice came out of the speakers.

She rolled her eyes. "It's been like two minutes," she replied. "I'm fine. I just… I mean, don't get me wrong, this place is amazing, but… I want to go home."

Madeline was poring over the paper, her mind processing the words at lightning speed. She was tapping her chin with her finger, much like Diana did when she was thinking. "Miles, will you look at this?" she said. Edgeworth was at her side immediately. "Look at this, right here," she muttered, her finger on a specific passage. "Can you read this?"

"'For the others to get home, the author must… this part is smudged out, I can't read it." He squinted at the words.

"I've already told you what you had to do," Payne called from near the door. "You're not leaving here." Diana turned away from the screen, looking a strange mixture of annoyed and desperate. Michael frowned and tapped the screen a bit above where necessary by mistake. The stylus directly hit Winston Payne.

Back in the Ace Attorney universe, there was a loud thump, then Payne stumbled, rubbing the top of his head. Diana, who'd seen the whole thing, cracked up. Everyone else looked around in confusion and Diana quickly shut up. She glanced at the screen again, then her eyes lit up. "Hey, can you guys examine things in this scene?"

"Maybe. What can we do?" Jeddy asked.

"Can you examine the paper? We can't read some parts, but maybe you guys can."

"Sure thing," Michael said, tapping on the paper. It quivered in Madeline's hand and she looked at it in bewilderment. An option flashed on the screen. "What do we want to read about? Getting here, getting back, within the universe."

"Did you even have to ask?" Matt asked impatiently.

Michael nodded and tapped on getting back. He began to read aloud. Everyone in the underground room stopped what they were doing and listened. "Getting back is simpler than it seems. All the others must be in the same room, and the author must write them all home. But in order for the words to take effect, something important must be left behind in this universe."

"Is that it?" Diana asked as the room fell silent. When the staff didn't reply, she turned toward Payne, fury in her eyes. "The paper doesn't say anything about a person," she growled angrily.

Payne took an uncomfortable step back. "What? But I was sure…" He trailed off, seemingly lost in nervous thought. Then his smirk returned, cocky as before. "It doesn't matter now. The forty-eight hours are almost up. You can't possibly have more than five minutes to write something. And after you fail, all of you will be obliterated."

Diana frowned. "Wanna bet?" she muttered. She marched over to Madeline and gently took the paper from her hand. Everyone watched wordlessly as she scribbled some words down, seeming to barely even have to think. She folded up the paper and made her way over to Maya, holding it out to her. "Keep this in a safer place, ok?"

Maya nodded quickly, smiling and giving the author a hug. Diana walked back toward Madeline slowly, pausing in the center of the room. "Well, guys, as fun as it's been…" She looked like she was holding back tears. "It's time for me to go home."

Before she could say another word, Madeline ran toward her and hugged her tightly. The two women looked into each other's eyes, each struck by the similarities of the other to herself. "It's been an honor," Madeline said formally, then she looked puzzled. "Did you write that?"

Diana laughed, tears in her eyes again. "No," she choked out. "But thank you." And with a flash, the authoress vanished. Something thumped to the floor where she'd been standing only a few second earlier. Madeline picked it up hesitantly. It was a notebook. The cover bore a silhouette of a girl with a guitar, with various words written in green in the background including 'Hit a higher note' and 'Change the world.' It was well worn and there were many bent pages, some holding typed pages in place.

"What is it?" Edgeworth asked, moving to stand just behind her, in case she needed him.

Madeline slowly lifted the cover of the notebook. "I'm not quite sure. Hold on, there's a note here." She began to read it aloud. "_Madeline. Although it pains me, I'm leaving this behind. This is by far the most important thing I own. It's my notebook. I never leave home without it, and I'm pretty sure I've written every idea I've ever had down in here. But I think you should have it, Madi. I don't really need it any more, now that I've met you. Thanks for everything, and thank Edgeworth and the rest of the gang, too. I really owe you guys one. Maybe I'll see you again someday, but I don't know. If not, know that I'm always watching over you. ~Diana_

* * *

The staff members were still watching, of course. I mean, where would they go? As Diana disappeared, they all sat back and looked around, waiting for something to happen. And then, with a flash, Diana appeared in the chair, a shaky smile on her face. "Hi guys," she said, smiling.

Everyone was quiet for a minute, just looking at the DS, which had randomly turned off by itself. "Well, that was a crazy adventure," Nathaniel said matter-of-factly.

The entire staff began to talk at once, causing the room to be filled with chatter and laughter. "Yeah, it'd make a great story," Diana said enthusiastically, turning to reach for her ever present notebook, but it wasn't there. She frowned for a second, then just ignored it. Her notebook was in a better place. "Maybe I'll write about it." She thought about it for a second. "I don't know who on earth would read it, though," Diana continued, laughing. Then she paused. "Why did I come here again? I mean, I love hanging out with you guys, but I felt like there was a reason."

Everyone turned toward Paul. It finally sank in that his beard had returned to its former glorious state. The staff and Diana crowded around him, offering congratulations and sentiments of relief.

"Well, Paul, I can safely say that after all your beard has gone through, it deserves a medal," Diana said, laughing. "Unfortunately, I don't have one, but your beard is definitely the winner of the first GameCola Annual Beard Competition."

"Thanks Diana!" Paul said happily.

The author laughed. "No problem," she replied. "But I'd better get home, stories don't write themselves. See you later guys!" She slipped out the door, closing it behind her.

She paused outside and smirked. Another chapter completed, and although she lacked an essential part of her life, she'd gained new friends and experiences in the meantime. Diana had no doubt that there were more adventures with the GameCola staff in store, and although this story was ending, another was only just beginning.

THE END.


End file.
